RE  T  u 


•ORTSMOUT: 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 

Ex  Libris 

Katharine  F.  Richmond 

and 
Henry  C.  Fall 


-v 


~~ 

(I 


THE  RE-UNION  OF  73. 


THE     SECOND    RECEPTION    OF    THE     SONS    AND    DAUGHTERS    OF    PORTSMOUTH,     RESIDENT 

ABROAD, 


,  1873. 


ALSO,   AN    ACCOUNT  OF 


THE  HIGH  SCHOOL  RE-UNION, 


JULY   5, 


GREAT  PRAISE  MEETING 


ON   SUNDAY,    JULY  6. 


PUBLISHED    BY  CHARLES    W.   GARDNER, 

PORTSMOUTH,    N.   H. 


THE   CLAREMONT   MANUFACTURING  CO., 
PRINTERS   AND    BINDERS, 
CLAREMONT,    N.  H. 


PREFATORY. 


The  first  suggestion,  relative  to  a  Reunion  of  the  Sons  in  '73,  did  not 
find  favor  with  the  public.  That  is,  the  said  public  did  not  respond  with 
a  loud  and  long  Amen,  when  the  subject  was  talked  of  in  private,  and 
written  of  in  the  local  papers  of  Portsmouth.  Not  that  the^old  town 
lacked  the  elements  of  hospitality,  or  the  requisite  amount  of  interest  in 
the  Sons  abroad;  only  the  spirit  needed  to  be  aroused.  The  masses  every- 
where are  led  by  a  few.  We  do  not  think  or  plan  en  masse,  although  we 
almost  always  execute  by  the  aid  of  the  whole  people.  So,  while  there 
was  no  positive  opposition  to  the  movement,  there  existed  the  usual 
amount  of  apathy  which  always  attends  the  planning  and  starting  of  an 
enterprise  of  any  great  magnitude,  and  it  was  very  natural  that  there 
should  at  first  come  forth  the  cry  of  "cost"  and  "labor"  and  "a  more 
convenient  season,"  etc. 

But  the  spirit  of  enterprise,  mingled  with  love,  is  contagious;  and  as 
the  weeks  of  winter  and  spring  went  by,  and  the  Fourth  of  July,  1873,  ' 
and  the  250th  anniversary  of  the  settlement  of  Portsmouth  crept  on  apace 
the  enthusiasm  and  zeal  increased  and  one  and  another  fell  in,  until  scarce, 
any  remained  outside  the  charmed  circle  of  workers  in  the  labor  of  love. 
The  entertainers  and  those  who  were  to  be  entertained  were  alike  interest- 
ed in  a  successful  and  glorious  gathering  and  there  was  a  beautiful  moral 
in  the  fact  that  for  a  month  or  more  preceding  the  ever-to-be-remembered 
Re-union  of  '73,  an  overwhelming  number  of  willing  hands  and  feet 
never  ceased  to  do  the  bidding  of  more  willing  hearts  in  aid  of  the 
good  work  of  preparing  for  the  proper  reception  of  the  children,  and 
grandchildren  of  old  Strawberry  Bank. 

The  re-uniting  of  a  family  is  pleasant  and  beautiful.  But  where  are 
the  adjectives  that  will  aid  us  in  describing  the  re-union  of  hundreds  of 
families  under  one  roof?  The  Mother  welcoming  home  her  Daughters  and 
Sons !  By  the  way,  what  a  rare  magnetism  there  is  in  that  little  word 
"home"!  How  strangely  enchanting  are  the  reminiscences  that  it  con- 
jures! How  multiplied  the  pleasures  it  suggests!  The  influences  that 


106674.6 


surrounded  our  early  home-lives  made  us  the  kind  of  men  and  women 
that  we  are.  The  experiences  of  our  youth  contributed  to  our  destiny  as 
positively  as  the  tiny  streams  flowing  down  the  mountain's  side  help  to 
make  the  deep-running  river. 

When  the  girl  or  boy  leaves  the  old  homestead,  new  scenes  are  encountered 
and  a  new  life  is  entered  upon,  so  that  the  affections  are  gradually  trans- 
planted to  other  fields  of  social  life,  and  old  attachments  and  charms  give 
place  to  new  ones.  But  the  heart  of  the  ever  solicitous  mother  never 
changes.  We  find  the  maternal  instincts  as  strong  after  the  lapse  of  years 
of  prodigal  wandering  as  on  the  day  in  which  we  so  fervently  bade  adieu 
to  the  home  of  our  childhood.  So,  we  believe,  the  illustration  will  hold 
good  when  applied  to  old  Portsmouth,  whose  highest  boast  is,  that  she  has 
reared  and  sent  forth  to  every  quarter  of  the  globe  noble  women  and  men. 
In  their  wanderings,  and  amid  their  all-absorbing  cares,  they  may  have 
forgotten  her,  for  a  while,  but  she  will  them,  never.  We  intend  no  re- 
flection upon  the  loyalty  of  the  Daughters  and  Sons  of  Strawberry  Bank, 
but  desire  to  incorporate  into  this  History  a  tribute  that  is  justly  due  the 
sacred  name  of  "MoiHEB." 

We  propose,  in  the  succeeding  pages,  to  give  a  full  and  correct  statement 
of  events  and  matters  of  interest  as  they  occurred  on  the  occasion  of  one 
of  the  most  successful  celebrations  that  was  ever  held  anywhere.  We 
cannot  but  remember,  however,  that  the  record  must  suffer  in  comparison 
to  that  of  '53,  made  and  published  by  that  indefatigable  and  able  historical 
gleaner,  Charles  W.  Brewster,  Esq.,  now  deceased ;  and  we  beg  the  reader 
to  pardon  the  omissions  and  inaccuracies  that  may  be  sifted  from  thia 
pamphlet,  keeping  in  mind  the  fact  that  an  unskilled  hand  arranged  it. 


HISTORY. 

"They  love  their  land  because  it  is  their  own, 

And  scorn  to  give  might  other  reason  why." — Ha.lle.ck. 

It  is  believed  that,  in  this  country  and  in  modern  times,  at  least,  the  first 
Keunion  at  home,  of  Portsmouth's  Sons  and  Daughters  wherever  resident, 
was  a  novel  and  unique  celebration.  The  nearest  approach  to  it,  probably, 
were  the  gatherings,  somewhat  similar,  but  far  less  complete  and  extensive, 
on  the  occasions  of  celebrating  the  centennial  or  other  anniversaries  of 
some  of  the  old  settlements  in  this  and  other  States.  Newburyport,  also, 
the  year  following  our  first  gathering,  (in  1854,)  held  a  similar  home  re- 
union ;  but  has  not  attempted  a  repetition.  And  Gloucester  has  now 
taken  the  preliminary  steps  for  the  like,  and  perhaps  other  towns. 

During  the  greater  part  of  the  present  century,  and  especially  since 
the  introduction  of  railroads  into  this  region — whereby  Portsmouth  lost 
much  of  her  previous  relative  high  business  standing  compared  to  Boston, 
Portland  and  the  neighboring  seaports — a  very  large  percentage  of  the 
young  men  of  the  town  have  unfortunately  felt  compelled  or  been  im- 
pelled to  seek  business  and  homes  elsewhere.  This  heavy  drain  upon  the 
vital  resources  of  the  old  town  has  of  course  been  fatal  to  its  growth  and 
development ;  nor  is  it  at  all  certain  from  a  social  or  politico-economic 
point  of  view,  that  the  ambitious  and  dissatisfied  young  men  who  preferred 
to  roam,  have  in  the  aggregate  at  all  bettered  their  condition  or  increased 
their  opportunities  for  happiness,  over  what  their  equal  endeavors  might 
have  won  for  the  whole  in  the  old  homestead. 

But  this  question  it  is  not  our  province  to  discuss  here  or  now.  The  fact 
led  to  the  Celebration  of  which  we  speak,  and  ours  it  is  to  make  record  of 
the  same,  as  accurate  and  complete  as  we  may.  Although  so  many  left 
their  native  hearths,  most  of  them  professed  to  retain  strong  love  for  the 
old  home,  and' returned  to  visit  it  whenever  opportunity  offered.  The 
pleasant  summer  meetings  of  old  friends,  Portsmouth  people,  both  here 
and  in  other  cities,  at  length  appears  to  have  suggested  to  several  parties, 
resident  in  Boston  and  New  York,  at  different  times,  some  sort  of  a  social 
home  gathering.  Thus,  Mr.  John  H.  Bowles,  of  New  York  City, 
proposed  some  such  thing  to  Mr.  C.  W.  Brewster  of  the  Portsmouth 
Journal,  as  early  as  1850 ;  Messrs.  William  G.  Wendell,  A.  A.  Peterson 
and  others,  on  July  4th,  1852,  discussed  in  Mr.  Peterson's  store  in 
New  York,  a  plan  for  a  party  of  Portsmouth  New  Yorkers  to  visit  home 
by  water. 

But  to  do  exact  justice  to  all  parties  is  our  purpose,  and  in  looking  up 
the  matter  to  ascertain  the  real  author  of  the  Return  in  18  >3,  we  fail  to 
discover  any  one  person  who  has  a  right  to  the  credit  of  the  idea  of  such 
an  occasion.  Like  all  great  inventions  or  movements  of  a  similar  char- 
acter, it  seems  to  have  had  its  conception  in  the  minds  of  many  at  once  ; 
i.  e. — the  feeling  that  it  was  time  for  such  a  gathering  forced  itself  upon 
the  minds  of  those  whose  intense  love  of  their  early  home  gave  birth  to 
the  desire  to  have  a  general  coming  together  in  the  old  town  of  their 
childhood.  Leaving  the  question  then,  in  regard  to  the  origin  of  the 
idea,  the  query  of  who  made  the  first  movement  or  who  struck  the  first 
blow,  naturally  suggests  itself.  In  the  discharge  of  our  duty  as  an  im- 
partial historian,  we  have  taken  much  pains,  by  patient  inquiry  and 
otherwise,  to  learn  what  the  record  fails  to  clearly  impart  to  us. 

The  first  movement  looking  toward  a  gathering  of  the  "  Sons  "  in  Ports- 
mouth was  made  by  Messrs.  Theodore  S.  Harris,  Robert  L.  Harris  and 
Albert  Remick  as  early  as  March,  1853,  in  the  store  in  which  the  former 


was  employed  as  clerk.  This  primary  step  consisted  of  meeting  together 
at  the  place  mentioned,  from  time  to  time,  to  devise  a  plan  for  bringing 
the  matter  before  the  public.  Finding  their  consultations  interrupted  by 
frequent  callers,  they  soon  changed  their  headquarters  to  Col.  Ezra  Lin- 
coln's office  in  Court  Street,  where  Mr.  Robert  L.  Harris  (a  brother  of  Theo- 
dore) was  learning  civil  engineering.  Here  they  came  together,  day  after 
day  in  their  spare  moments,  to  talk  over  their  scheme.  At  the  same  time, 
B.  P.  Shillaber,  Esq, — well  known  as  a  devoted  son  of  Portsmouth — being 
connected  with  the  Boston  Post  and  a  newspaper  man  by  profession,  com- 
menced writing  articles  in  the  Post,  as  well  as  in  the  Journal  and  Messen- 
ger of  this  city,  for  thep  urpose  of  awakening  the  attention  of  the  public 
in  Portsmouth  and  Boston  to  the  matter.  The  next  move  was  to  secure 
the  names — to  a  paper  properly  drawn  up  by  such  individuals  as  would 
give  character  and  weight  to  the  undertaking ;  and,  accordingly,  early  in 
May  the  Messrs.  Harris  and  Remick  drew  up  a  document  andl  procured 
quite  a  number  of  signatures  of  prominent  men  who  were  willing  to  do  all 
in  their  power  to  aid  the  enterprise.  We  give  the  paper  referred  to,  with 
the  names  affixed. 

"  The  natives  of  Portsmouth  and  vicinity  propose  visiting  that  place  on 
the  coming  anniversary  of  American'Independence.  It  is  proposed  to  have 
a  Marshal  and  Assistants,  to  employ  a  band  of  music  and  carry -out  such 
other  arrangements  as  an  Executive  Committee  to  be  chosen  may  decide 
upon. 

We  the  undersigned,  heartily  concur  in  this  movement,  and  will  do  all 
in  our  power  to  further  it  to  a  successful  and  pleasant  result. 

[Signed  ] — Samuel  H.  Gookin,  T.  Starr  King,  M.  P.  Kennard,  John  E. 
Abbott,  William  E.  Abbott,  J.  G.  Bachelder,  1.  W.  Frye,  Alfred  Mudge, 
James  T.  Fields,  C.  B.  Goodrich,  S.  Robinson,  W.  N,  Melcher,  W.  H.  Hill, 
W.  H.  Kennard,  George  A.  Fields,  Garland  Sewell,  Theo.  S.  Harris,  A.  M. 
Beck,  Samuel  W.  Waldron,  Joseph  Simes,  R.  W.  Mason,  T.  M.  Ball, 
Walter  B.  Hill,  Lemuel  E.  Caswell,  August  E.  Bachelder,  Henry  L.  Bach- 
elder,  Theodore  Chase,  Charles  Mason,  George  B.  Sanger,  F.  E.  Parker, 
Geo.  W.  Bazin,  Nath'l.  Melcher,  G.  M.  Mason,  John  H.  Cheeveer,  Cha's. 
Levi  Woodbury,  Robert  L.  Harris,  Albert  Remick. 

The  Messrs.  Harris  and  Remick  also  had  circulars  printed,  setting  forth 
their  proposal  in  detail,  and  sent  them  to  a  large  number  of  the  "  Sons" 
living  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston,  in  order  to  secure  their  co-operation  ;  the 
funds  for  the  printing  of  these,  as  well  as  for  other  preliminaries,  being 
generously  guaranteed  by  Samuel  H.  Gookin,  Esq. 

The  work  of  agitation  thus  proceeded  until  the  4th  day  of  June,  1853, 
when  an  informal  gathering  was  held  at  the  Tremont  House,  Boston,  at 
which  the  action  of  the  Messrs.  Harris  and  Remick  was  cordially  endorsed, 
and  the  work  of  preparation  begun  in  good  earnest,  a  meeting  being 
called  at  Cochituate  Hall  on  the  10th  of  June,  1853,  prior  to  which  quite 
a  sum  of  money  was  raised  by  the  liberal  contributions  of  those  who  were 
foremost  in  prosecuting  the  work  thus  commenced.  At  this  10th  of  June 
meeting  an  organization  called  "  An  Association  of  the  Sons  of  Portsmouth 
resident  in  Boston  and  vicinity,"  was  perfected,  which  has  been  main- 
tained ever  since.  This  Association  not  only  proposed  a  Return  in  '53,  but 
also  at  every  decade  thereafter  ;  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  war  in  '63. 
they  claim  that  they  would  have  put  in  an  appearance  at  that  time  com- 
mensurate with  the  occasion  of  '73.  It  has  been  considered  a  happy 
coincidence  that  these  "  Returns"  should  have  (so  far  as  our  researches 
extend)  germinated  on  the  spot  to  which  in  1624,  David  Thompson,  the  gal- 
lant originator  of  the  settlement  of  Portsmouth,  and  its  first  absenting 
son,  turned  his  prow. 

From  the  foregoing,  it  would  appear  that  the  origin  of  the  Return  was 
in  Boston,  and  the  tirst  workers  were  Messrs.  Theodore  S.  Harris,  Albert 
Remick,  and  Robert  L.  Harris,  who,  being  then  active  and  enthusiastic, 


wrought  up   the  public  interest  to  a  proper  pitch,  after  which  the  affair 
was  a  foregone  triumph. 

We  are  aware  that  there  is  a  friendly  dispute  in  regard  to  who  was  the 
originator  of  the  idea  of  a  general  "  Return1  home  :  and  we  regret  that  it 
must  remain  an  unsettled  question  in  this  history,  as  it  would  afford  us 
gratification  to  point  out  the  individual — were  he  to  be  found — and 
glorify  him  by  citing  the  public  to  the  grand  success  achieved.  But  we 
must  content  ourselves  by  reiterating  our  former  assertion  that  it  was  not 
the  product  of  one  mind  alone  and  therefore  to  name  any  would  be  in- 
vidious. We  subjoin  Mr.  Shillaber's  statement  of  the  matter  as  given 
through  the  columns  of  the  Portsmouth  Journal  in  September,  1872. 

THE  "  GOING  HOME  "  IN  1853. 

CHELSEA,  Aug.  17,  72. 

Mr.  Srewster: — At  this  time,  when  a  reunion  of  the  Portsmouth  Boys 
abroad  with  those  at  home  is  being  looked  forward  to  in  1873,  a  review 
of  the  facts  relating  to  the  "  return,  '  in  1853  may  not  be  uninteresting  to 
your  readers,  and  may  serve  to  awaken  a  little  enthusiasm  for  the  occa- 
sion contemplated.  My  own  part,  in  originating  and  promoting  that, 
1  regard  with  more  pride  than  any  act  of  my  life,  as  the  result  developed  a 
quality  so  sacred  and  tender,  that  to  be  instrumental  in  causing  such  hap- 
piness carried  with  it  a  feeling  of  unbounded  satisfaction,  that  is  yet 
undirninished.  But  my  part  was  small  in  the  matter — simply  setting 
the  ball  in  motion.  The  credit  of  success  in  the  affair  is  due,  mainly,  to> 
others.  Theodore  S.  Harris,  Samuel  H.  Gookin,  M.  P.  Kennard,  F.  E. 
Parker,  James  H.  Weeks,  James  T.  Fields,  T.  Starr  King,  and  other 
active  spirits,  in  Boston,  received  the  idea  and  improved  it.  Mr.  Harris 
was  indefatigable  in  his  exertions  to  awaken  interest,  using  every  means 
to  that  end,  devoting  money  and  time  to  the  object;  and  his  enthusiastic 
advocacy  first  gave  vitality  to  the  project. 

The  City  Government  of  Portsmouth,  also,  in  so  readily  acting  upon 
the  suggestion,  and  meeting  the  scheme  contemplated,  with  a  generous 
hospitality  that  had  not  been  anticipated,  deserves  a  large  share  of  credit 
for  this  success,  stimulating  the  "  Sons"  abroad,  everywhere,  with  a  wish 
to  participate.  His  Honor,  the  late  lamented  Horton  D.  Walker,  Alfred 
W.  Haven,  Hon.  Ichabod  Goodwin,  and  many  other  prominent  citizens, 
backed  by  the  sentiment  of  the  entire  city, — by  their  earnest  co-operation 
made  the  return  of  the  "  Boys  ''  an  assured  thing  from  the  start,  which 
resulted  in  the  grandest  demonstration  of  affectionate  reunion  ever  known. 

The  origin  of  the  occasion  was  thus  wise.  In  May,  1853,  while  coht 
nected  with  the  Boston  Post,  I  met  the  late  Wm.  P.  Treadwell  in  Dock 
Square,  who,  in  speaking  about  our  old  home,  asked  how  I  thought  a 
proposition  for  the  Sons  of  Portsmouth  to  visit  the  homestead,  on  the 
coming  4th,  would  be  received.  We  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
desirableness  of  the  proposition  would  commend  itself,  and  proceeding  to 
the  office,  I  wrote  the  following,  which  appeared  in  the  Post  of  May  16th  : 

MOST  AGREEABLE  EXCURSION. — We  learn  that  the  natives  of  Ports- 
mouth, N.  H.,  residing  in  Boston,  meditate  a  visit  to  their  early  home  on 
the  coming  4th  of  July,  Natives  of  Portsmouth  are  very  numerous  in 
Boston  and  we  should  think  a  large  number  might  be  induced  to  join  the 
excursion.  It  is  proposed,  as  we  learn,  to  select  from  among  their  num- 
ber an  orator,  poet  and  chaplain  for  the  occasion,  and  proceed  to  old 
Strawberry  Bank,  where,  doubtless,  they  will  be  heartily  welcomed  by 
their  old  friends  and  associates.  It  will  undoubtedly  be  a  happy  time 
for  all  parties.  We  publish  the  above  merely  as  a  rumor,  as  we  believe 
no  general  action  has  yet  been  had  about  it. 


8 

Treadwell  said  he  had  spoken  to  one  or  two  others  regarding  it,  who 
thought  well  of  it,  but  there  had  been  no  definite  plan  proposed.  This 
we  proceeded  to  make,  and  the  "  orator,  poet  and  chaplain"  had  their 
origin  at  that  meeting.  F.  E.  Parker  was  to  be  the  orator,  Fields  the 
poet  and  King  the  chaplain,  and  how  to  carry  it  out  was  the  question. 

Our  plan  also  contemplated  a  dinner  under  a  tent,  or  a  mammoth 
chowder,  to  which  we  proposed  inviting  the  City  Government  and  prom- 
inent citizens,  to  participate  with  us. 

The  preliminary  paragraph  awakened  considerable  attention,  and  the 
hint  began  to  harden  into  purpose.  At  that  time  I  corresponded  with 
the  Rockingham  Messenger,  in  Portsmouth,  and  commented  therein,  by 
letter  and  editorially,  upon  my  own  paragraph,  with  as  much  force  as  I 
could  command.  The  Journal  and  Chronicle  took  the  matter  up,  and  on 
May  24th  another  paragraph  appeared  in  the  Post,  alluding  to  the  co- 
operation of  the  Portsmouth  press,  and  spoke  of  the  matter  as  "ripening." 
The  action  of  the  Portsmouth  'City  Government  then  followed,  and  the 
invitation  was  extended. 

You  will  pardon  me  for  copying  from  the  Post,  of  June  4th,  an  address 
"  to  the  Portsmouth  Boys  :  " 

Come  rally,  boys  !  Awake,  Awake! 

Hear  old  affection  on  you  calling,' 
Your  childhood's  home  appeal  doth  make, 

On  willing  ears  may  it  be  falling  ! 
She  calls  you  from  your  busy  care, 

To  meet  her  in  her  pleasant  places, 
Her  old  regard  again  to  share, 

And  smiles  from  old  familiar  faces. 

Each  rock  and  haunt,  remembered  well, 

Will  send  its  hundreds  forth  to  meet  you ; 
Joy's  loudest  note  will  widely  swell, 

And  ardent  hearts  expand  to  greet  you. 
And  bell  and  gun  and  flame  and  tongue 

Will  blend  their  notes  in  peal  sonorous, 
Familiar  as  of  old  they  rung, 

And  WELCOME  !  WELCOME  !  be  the  chorus. 

Crowd  not  the  generous  impulse  back 

That  prompts  the  thought  in  which  you  gather; 
Twere  well  to  leave  life's  dusty  track, 

And  turn  in  filial  duty  hither — 
To  once  again  in  union  join, 

'Mid  scenes  that  saw  your  life's  unsealing, 
And  at  the  well-remembered  shrine 
Kindle  anew  the  heart's  true   feeling. 

B.  P.  S. 

The  first  public  meeting  was  held,  June  10th,  at  Cochituate  Hall,  Tre- 
mont  Street,  called  together  by  the  following  notice  : 

NATIVES  OF  PORTSMOUTH,  former  residents  thereof,  and  all  others 
interested  in  celebrating  the  approaching  anniversary  of  the  Declaration 
of  Independence  at  the  City  of  their  birthplace,  or  which  has  been  their 
residence,  are  requested  to  meet  at  Cochituate  Hall,  on  Friday  evening, 
10th  instant,  at  8  o'clock,  to  take  some  action  on  the  subject. 

The  meeting  was  large  and  spirited,  and  besides  the  known  members  of 
the  Portsmouth  family,  some  appeared,  to  participate  in  the  meeting, 
who  had  left  the  place  so  long  before  that  the  fact  of  their  originating 
in  Portsmouth  was  hardly  known  beyond,  and  almost  forgotten,  by 
themselves.  F.  E.  Parker  was  chosen  President;  Samuel  H.  Gookin 
and  M.  P.  Kennard,  Vice  Presidents ;  J.  E.  Abbott  and  Theodore  S. 
Harris,  Secretaries  ;  and  Jas.  H.  Weeks,  Treasurer.  A  resolution  offered 
by  James  T.  Fields,  embodying  the  idea  that  the  "  Boys  "  go  home,  was 
enthusiastically  adopted,  eloquent  speeches  were  made,  committees  were 
appointed,  and  active  work  commenced. 

An  adjourned  meeting  was  held  at  the  same  place  June  28,  to  complete 


arrangements,  and  S.  H.  Gookin  appointed  Chief  Marshal,  who  was  to 
confer  with  Col.  A.  J.  Beck,  Chief  Marshal  of  the  Portsmouth  organiza- 
tion, for  joint  action. 

I  find  the  following  in  the  Post  as  an  addenda  to  a  rallying  paragraph, 
supposed  to  have  been  sent  in  by  Mrs.  Partington,  who  would  insist  upon 
it  that  she  was  a  "  Portsmouth  Boy  :  " 

"  Let  all  in  unison  thrtr  chateaus  swing : 
Now  be  forgotten  each  harmonious  thing, 
And  with  glad  voices  make  the  welcome  ring." 

An  imitation  is  rarely  successful,  but  there  was  so  much  heartiness 
about  the  first  reunion,  that  overshadowed  all  formalities,  as  leads  to  the 
hope  that,  should  the  one  purposed  prove  a  fact,  enough  of  the  old  leaven 
remains  to  vitalize  and  put  it  through  triumphantly. 

Pardon  my  obtruding  myself  so  into  the  public  eye,  like  a  cinder,  but 
we  grow  egotistic  as  we  grow  older, — there  seemed  an  occasion  for  doing 
good  in  reviving  the  old  story,  and  I  was  not  at  all  reluctant  to  appear, 
"  a  humble  instrument  "  of  the  past,  in  aid  of  that  which  may  prove,  in 
some  degree,  a  copy  of  what  was  a  grand  good  time.  Many  who  par- 
ticipated in  the  former  enjoyment  have  gone  under,  (King's  memory  is  a 
precious  trust  with  every  Portsmouth  boy,)  while  those  who  remain  have 
whitened  in  the  airs  of  twenty  years,  or  assumed  rotund  proportions  that 
establish  their  claim  to  regard,  as  "solid  men,"  but  their  hearts  warm 
towards  the  green  old  town  of  their  birth,  and  they  will  gladly  go  home 
again  and  renew  the  joy  they  experienced  in  '53.  My  friend  Harris  may 
not  show  the  alacrity  of  limb  which  then  led  him  to  do  so  much,  but  his 
enthusiasm  is  undimmed,  and  our  excellent  Chief  Marshal  is  ready,  as 
then,  in  spirit,  to  lead  the  column,  from  the  ranks  of  which  no  deserter 
will  be  known.  I  trust  the  young  men  will  emulate  the  spirit  of  the  old, 
and  show  the  same  love  of  home  as  impresses  their  elders.  We  shall 
see. 

Yours  for  the  "  good  time  "  coming, 

B.  P.  SHILLABER." 

The  Second  Reunion  is  now  a  thing  of  the  past.  It  was  indeed  a  great 
and  glorious  gathering.  In  order  of  time  and  numerically,  it  must  of 
course  bear  a  record  of  No.  2  as  compared  to  the  first ;  and  perhaps  in 
novelty  and  zest  also;  but  in  all  the  other  elements  that  go  to  make  up 
success; — numbers,  good  feeling,  cordiality,  preparations,  completeness 
— the  Reunion  of  1873  stands  unexcelled. 

PRELIMINARY  STEPS  IN  PORTSMOUTH. 

As  early  as  May  2,  1872,  Col.  Wm.  H.  Sise  petitioned  the  mayor  and 
aldermen  of  this  city  to  take  the  initiatory  steps  toward  a  celebration  the 
year  following,  but  nothing  was  done  beyond  accepting  the  communica- 
tion and  placing  it  on  file.  Throughout  the  summer,  however,  the  matter 
was  agitated  from  time  to  time  through  the  Chronicle  and  Journal,  and  in 
November,  1872,  Col.  Sise  secured  the  names  of  a  number  of  citizens  in- 
terested in  the  proposed  celebration,  and  succeeded  in  arranging  for  a 
meeting  for  the  public  discussion  of  the  scheme. 

The  first  meeting  in  Portsmouth  for  the  purpose  of  taking  preliminary 
steps  towards  an  organized  movement  for  the  return  of  the  Sons  in  July, 
1873,  was  held  at  the  City  Rooms  on  Tuesday  evening,  Nov.  26,  1872,  at 
which  sixty-one  names  were  presented  to  constitute  a  general  committee, 
after  which  the  list  was  increased  to  upwards  of  100,  the  following  being 
the  complete  roll. 


10 

Ichahod  Goodwin,  Frank  Jones,  Daniel  Marcy,  John  H.  Bailey,  Albert  R.  Hatch,  Aaron 
H.  Hill,  M.  Bufford,  U.  F.  Wendell,  Thos.  U.  Udiou,  E.  H.  Winchester,  A.  W.  Odion,  J.  0. 
Butler,  W.  W.  Cotton,  A.  Stavera,  I.  P.  Miller.  E.  D.  Coffin,  P.  D.  Norton,  W.  N.  ll«lcy, 

D.  J.  Vaughan,  John  S.  Raud,  N.  Dana  Whipple,  J.  A.  Sanborn,  C.  VV.  Gardner,  James  U. 
Dow,  G.  M.  Goodnch,  W.  U.  Sise,  W.  R.  Preston,  F.  W.  Miller,  A.  W.  Haven,  Wm.  M.  Thayer, 
G.  VV.  Marston,  Samuel  Dodge,  James  \V.  Emery,  James  D.  Butler,  Chas.  H.  Rollins,  Ueo.  L. 
Treadwell,  Jos.  II.  Emery,  U.  M.  Clark,  II.  W.  Mason,  E.  G.  Pierce,  jr.,  Joa.  U.  Gardiner, 
C.  A.  Hazlett,  D.  W.  Baruabee,  W.  H.  Ilackett,  Manning  Emery,  Thos.  S.  Nowell.  C.  H. 
Mendum,  H.  il.  Ham.  jr.,  John  Stokell,  E.  A.  Tilton,  Wm.  A.  Pierce,  M.  T.  Betton,  C.  C. 
Jackson  J.  E.  Giddings,  Geo.  Annable,  Richaril  Waldron,  Isaiah  Wilson,  Albert  Laighton, 
J.  C.  Ca'rr,  W.  U:  Y.  Hackett,  C.   C.  Ackerman,  Wm.   R.   Boardraan,   Albert  A.  Fernald, 
H.  C.  Walker,  C.A.  Shannon,  M.  Eldredge,  C.  O.  Walker,  J.  H.  Kent,  C.  G.  Pickering,  Jos.  M. 
Edmonds,  Jas.  P.  Bartlett,  Thos.  Tredick,  jr.,  Thomas  Neil,  Geo.  E.  Hanson,  Dr.  Jas.  R.  May, 
J.  Albert  Walker,  Dr.  A.  P.  Stevens,  Wm.  B.  Lowd,  Gershom  Melcher,  Dr.  J.  W.  Parsons, 
Wm.  C.  Ham,  L.  E.  M.irtin,  Dr.  B.  Dearborn,  John  Pinder,  U.  B.  Lord,  II.  C.  Locke,  Wm.  A. 
Vaughan,  Jas.  L.  Pierce,  Jas.  E.  Dennett,  Daniel  E.  Leavitt,  E.  P.  Marden,  Howard  Messer, 
Wm.  L.  Dwight,  John  H.  Locke,  John  Sise,  John  J.  Pickering,  O.  L.  Loomis,  L.  W.  Brews- 
ter,  Calvin  Page,  Sam'l  U.  Goodall,  Dr.  E.  B.  Goodall,  Jos.  C.  Perkins,  Chas.  B.Parker,  John 

E.  Colcord,  Joa.  F.  Jenness,  William  Simes. 

This  committee  was  organized  and  sub-divided  as  follows : 

Chairman,  Ichabod  Goodwin. 

Vice-Chairmen,  William  H.  Sise,  William  R.  Preston,  Frank  Jones,  William  Simeg, 
Daniel  Marcy,  James  P.  Bartlett,  Frank  W.  Miller,  Charles  H.  Rollins,  John  H.  Bailey, 
Alfred  W.  Haven. 

Recording  Secretary,  John  E.  Colcord. 

(Jorretponding  Secretary,  James  F.  Jenness. 

ON  FINANCE. 

Ichabod  Goodwin,  Frank  Jones,  William  Simes,  Daniel  Marcy,  James  W.  Emery,  Thomas 
H.  Odion,  John  U.  Bailey,  Aaron  H.  Hill,  E.  H.  Winchester,  William  R.  Preston,  Frank  W. 
Miller,  Wm.  R.  Boardman,  Henry  M.  Clark,  E.  G.  Pierce,  jr.,  Charles  G.  Pickering. 

ON  INVITATIONS. 

Wiliam  H.  Sise,  Geo.  L.  Treadwell,  T.  E.  0.  Marvin,  Thomas  S.  Nowell,  George  W.  Mars- 
ton,  N.  Dana  \Vhipple,  Manning  Emery,  Marcellus  Bufford,  G.  ->J.  Goodrich,  J.  Albert 
Sanborn. 

ON  PROGRAMME. 

William  H.  Sise,  Henry  F.  Wendell,  Albert  A.  Fernald,  Marcellus  Eldredge,  Daniel  J. 
Vaughan,  William  W.  Cotton,  Chas.  W.  Gardner,  George  W.  Marstou,  Charles  H.  Rollins, 
Edward  D.  Coffin,  James  H.  Dow,  Edwin  A.  Tilton,  Matthew  T.  Betton,  Charles  A.  Hazlett, 
W.  A.  Pierce,  J.  Albert  Sanborn. 

ON  LITERARY  EXERCISES. 

Albert  R.  Hatch,  James  P.  Bartlett,  Albert  Laighton,  Alfred  W.  Haven,  Wm.  H.  Hackett, 
William  M.  Thayer,  Israel  P.  Miller. 

ON  COLLATION. 

Joseph  H.  Gardiner,  Jerome  C.  Butler,  John  Stokell,  A.  W.  Odiorn,  Charles  C.  Akerman, 
Henry  M.  Clark,  Alfred  Stavers,  John  E.  Giddiugs,  Richard  Waldrou,  Joseph  H.  Emery. 

ON  DECORATIONS. 

G.  M.  Goodrich,  William  R.  Preston,  Wingate  N.  Ilsley,  C.  C.  Jackson,  John  S.  Rand, 
Chas.  H.  Mendum,  George  Annable,  Hartley  VV.  Mason,  Isaiah  Wilson,  Edwin  A.  Tilton, 
Edward  D.  Coffin,  Wm.  M.  Tliayer,  Samuel  Dodge,  Alfred  Stavers,  D.  W.  Baruabee,  Clarence 
0.  Walker,  William  E.  Hadley,  Uenry  C.  Walker,  James  U.  Dow,  A.  W.  Odiorn,  Richard 
Waldron,  Henry  H.  Ham,  jr.,  Charles  A.  Shannon. 

ON    ENTERTAINMENT   OF   PRESS. 
Frank  W.  Miller,  J.  Horace  Kent,  Charles  W.  Gardner. 

GENERAL  COMMITTEE  OF  LADIES. 

Pretident,  Mrs.  Frank  W.  Miller. 

Vice  Presidents,  Mrs.  Jos.  P.  Morse,  Miss  Mary  H.  Foster,  Miss  M.  Ellen  Brown  Miss 
Carrie  C.  Haley,  Mrs.  Alfred  Stavers,  Mrs.  Henry  C.  Walker,  Mrs.  John  Stokell  Mrs/A  P 
Stevens,  Miss  Susie  Christie,  Miss  Julia  Pray. 


11 

Recording  Secretary,  Miss  Annie  E.  Mendum. 
,    Corresponding  Secretary,  Mrs.  E.  P.  Seavey. 

FINANCE. 

Miss  Eliza  Rice,  Miss  Sarah  Boardman,  Miss  Fannie  Vennard,  Miss  Martha  Pendexter, 
Mris.  E.  A.  Tilton,  Mrs.  A.  W.  Odiorne,  Mrs.  John  P.  Hart,  Mrs.  B.  F.  Webster,  Mrs.  Alfred 
W.  Haven,  Mrs.  John  W.  Parsons,  Mrs.  Aaron  Young. 

INVITATIONS. 

r  Miss  Jennie  Bufford,  Mrs.  John  Wilson,  Miss  Abby  Hazelton,  Miss  Fanny  Vennard,  Miss 
Carrie  C.  Haley,  Mrs.  Charles  C.  Akernian,  Mrs.  Henry  C.  Walker,  Miss  Abbie  Payne,  Miss 
Susie  Christie,  Miss  Kate  Laigtitoii. 

PROGRAMME. 

Mrs.  Thomas  S.  Nowell,  Mrs.  Annie  Benedict,  Mrs.  T.  K.  Locke,  'Miss  Minnie  Stokell, 
Mrs.  Win.  Day,  Mrs.  R.  C.  Bartlett,  Mrs.  Daniel  Marcy,  Mrs.  Thos.  E.  0.  Marvin,  Mrs.  Thos. 
11.  Odiou,  Miss  Abbie  llazelton. 

LITERARY. 

Mrs.  James  P.  Bartlett,  Mrs.  Jas.  De  Normandie,  Mrs.  W.  H.  Alden,  Mrs.  Julia  Van  Ness 
Whipple,  Mrs.  Albert  R.  Hatch,  Mrs.  Frank  W.  Miller,  Miss  Sarah  H.  Foster,  Mrs.  J.  F. 
Binghaui,  Mrs.  Carlos  Martyn,  Miss  Frances  N".  Shackford. 

COLLATIONS. 

Mrs.  Aaron  H.  Hill,  Mrs.  Charles  H.  Mendum,  Mrs.  Wingate  N.  Ilsley,  Mrs.  Joseph  A. 
Grace,  Mrs.  Joseph  Sise,  Mrs.  H.  M.  Clark,  Mrs.  Annie  Benedict,  Mrs.  Thos.  K.  Locke,  Mrs. 
John  Stokell,  Mrs.  James  H.  Head,  Mrs.  Pluinmer  D.  Norton,  Mrs.  Jos.  P.  Morse,  Mrs.  John 
P.  Hart,  Mrs.  C.  C.  Akermau,  Miss  Jessie  Williams,  Miss  Mary  E.  Haley,  Miss  Kittie  Shores, 
Miss  Lizzie  Pray,  Miss  Annie  L.  Sise,  Miss  Susie  Christie,  Miss  Mary  Foster,  Miss  Carrie  C. 
Haley,  Miss  Miuuie  Stokell,  Miss  Carrie  Whitcomb. 

DECORATIONS. 

Mrs.  Samuel  S.  Green,  Mrs.  Dr.  N.  B.  Coleman,  Mrs.  William  H.  Sise,  Miss  Nellie 
Hazleton,  Miss  Emma  Veuuard,  Miss  Georgie  Hill,  Mrs.  Chas.  M.  Laighton,  Mrs.  A.  W. 
Oeliorue,  Miss  Emma  F.  Lowd,  Miss  Ella  Harvey,  Miss  Abby  Payne,  Mrs.  J.  E.  Colcord, 
Mrs.  James  F.  Jenness,  Miss  Lavinia  Laighton,  Mrs.  Aaron  Young,  Miss  Fannie  A.  Bailey, 
Miss  Euima  Laighton,  Mrs.  Alfred  Stavers,  Mrs.  J.  11.  Hutchiuson,  Mrs.  11.  M.  Clark,  Mrs. 
Wingate  N.  Ilsley,  Mrs.  Annie  Benedict,  Mrs.  Thomas  K.  Locki',  Mrs.  John  Stokell,  Mrs. 
Jametj  H.  Head,  Mrs.  Plummer  D.  Norton,  Mrs.  Joseph  P.  Morse,  Mrs.  John  P.  Hart,  Mrs. 
C.  C.  Akermau,  Miss  Susan  Christie,  Miss  Mary  A.  Foster,  Miss  Carrie  C.  Haley,  Miss  Min- 
nie Stokell,  Miss  Carrie  Whitcomb,  Miss  Annie  Pillow. 

1'rora  the  time  of  the  organization,  of  the  committees  until  the  comple- 
tion of  all  the  arrangements  necessary  to  the  perfecting  of  so  gigantic  a 
scheme  as  that  of  entertaining  all  our  absent  children,  their  several  tasks 
were  arduous  and  well  nigh  incessant.  All  worked  well  and  all  felt  well 
repaid.  The  city  Government  appropriated  on  the  12th  day  of  June,  the 
liberal  sum  of  $  10,OuO,  which  proved  amply  sufficient  to  cover  all 
expenditures. 

THE  DECORATIONS. 

July  4th  found  the  city  in  gala  dress  of  bright  colored  flags,  evergreens 
and  flowers,  many  of  the  decorations  being  very  handsome,  though  no  single 
street  presented  so  beautiful  an  appearance  as  did  Market  street  when 
arched  over  twenty  years  before.  Across  the  streets,  were  scores  of  flags 
bearing  words  of  welcome ;  and  there  were  few  houses  on  the  line  of 
march  but  had  some  adornment,  were  it  but  a  flag,  a  wreath  or  bouquet  of 
flowers,  while  many  residences  were  elaborately  and  beautifully  dressed. 
The  following  list  contains  a  brief  description  of  the  principal  decorations 
which  came  under  our  notice. 

FRENCHMAN'S  LANE 

Was  dressed  out  with  several  lines  of  flags  stretched  across  from  the 
trees  on  either  side. 


12 

ISLINGTON  STREET. 

Alexander  Robinson  displayed  a  large  ensign,  with  motto,  "  Welcome." 

Jacob  Haddock  had  the  portico  of  his  house  dressed. 

Jarvis  Brothers'  hosiery  factory  was  beautifully  decorated,  with  bunting 
and  evergreen  ;  a  large  shield  bearing  the  national  coat  of  arms  was 
placed  high  up  on  the  building,  and  about  the  middle  were  the  inscriptions 
"  Welcome  Home"  and  "  Welcome  to  Portsmouth."  The  sides  of  the 
building  were  also  festooned. 

Thomas  Ward  well's  house  was  festooned  with  small  flags,  and  a  large 
ensign  was  stretched  across  the  street ;  over  the  porch  was  a  statue  of  the 
Goddess  of  Liberty,  with  flags  depending  from  her  shoulders. 

Justin  B.  Hanscom  and  Enoch  J.  Conner  had  their  large,  double  house 
trimmed  with  wreaths  and  small  flags  from  the  windows,  the  entrance 
festooned  with  a  large  ensign  and  another  one  suspended  over  the 
sidewalk. 

George  W.  Shackley  displayed  a  large  evergreen  wreath,  a  cross,  ensign 
festooned,  and  signal  flags. 

Aaron  Akerman's  house  had  a  large  ensign  festooned  along  its  entire 
front,  and  wreaths  were  displayed. 

At  the  junction  of  Dover  street  with  Islington  was  the  triumphal  arch. 
It  was  thirty-five  feet  from  outside  of  perpendiculars  which  were  eight 
feet  high  at  the  spring  of  the  arch,  the  arch  to  the  center  being  twenty-six 
feet  high.  The  apex  was  surmounted  with  a  cluster  of  American  flags, 
and  numerous  bannerets  were  affixed  to  the  outer  circle  of  the  arch.  The 
bases  and  faces  were  dressed  with  evergreens,  with  shields  at  the  spring  of 
the  arch.  At  the  apex  were  the  legends,  "  1853.  Welcome.  1873."  On 
the  western  face — "  Future  Immortelles — the  memories  of  to-day."  [The 
arch  of  1853  stood  on  the  same  spot  as  this  one.] 

John  Stavers'  house  was  festooned  with  red,  white  and  blue,  and  small 
flags  and  wreaths  were  shown  in  good  numbers  ;  six  young  girls,  on  an 
elevated  platform,  waved  flags  as  the  procession  passed,  the  whole  being 
very  beautiful. 

Luther  E.  Martin  and  George  W.  Marston  had  their  residence  hand- 
somely dressed  with  bunting ;  over  the  door  was  a  large  evergreen 
wreath  with  a  motto  on  either  side, — "Our  wannest  greeting,"  "Our 
heartiest  welcome." 

Henry  M.  Clark  produced  a  good  effect  with  large  flags  festooned,  and 
smaller  ones  interspersed. 

John  P.  Hart's  residence  was  decorated  very  beautifully,  with  evergreen 
wreaths,  spruces,  statuary  and  flowers,  and  motto,  "  Welcome  home." 

J.  Woodman  Moses'  house  was  festooned  with  red,  white  and  blue  :  the 
porch  was  draped  with  ensigns,  and  upon  the  corners  were  two  ancient 
fire  buckets  labelled  "  Mechanic  Fire  Society,  1811." 

An  unfinished  house  on  the  corner  of  Cabot  street  was  hung  with 
streamers. 

Ex-Gov.  Goodwin  had  three  lines  of  flags  extending  from  his  residence 
to  the  splendid  trees  across  the  street,  the  eastern  and  western  lines  each 
displaying  the  word  "  Welcome  ;"  the  porch  was  festooned  with  flags,  and 
over  it  was  the  motto,  "  Faith,  Hope  and  Charity  ;"  and  the  line  of  trees 
opposite  was  hung  with  flags  almost  the  whole  length  of  the  field. 

Marcellus  Eldredge  made  a  handsome  display  of  festoons  of  bunting, 
with  flags  and  a  gilded  eagle  over  the  porch. 

Mrs.  Halliburton's  residence  was  decorated  with  wreaths  and  flowers. 

John  A.  Lamprey  made  a  good  show  with  spruces  and  small  flags. 

Mrs.  N.  G.  Weeks  had  an  ensign  suspended  over  the  sidewalk,  and  the 
porch  dressed  with  bunting  and  evergreen. 

The  Misses  Barnes  displayed  flags,  and  mottoes,  "Welcome  to  the  Sons 
of  Old  Strawberry  Bank;  welcome  to  its  former  residents;  welcome  to 


13 

all."  "  Sons  of  Portsmouth,  be  ever  prompt  in  virtue's  cause."  "  Be 
strong  for  God,  your  country  and  yourselves." 

John  T.  French's  house,  corner  Summer  street,  was  beautifully  decora- 
ted on  both  streets  with  glories  of  flags,  lines  of  streamers  and  small  ban- 
nerets. On  the  Islington  street  side  was  the  motto  "Welcome  home." 
[These  decorations  were  planned  by  and  put  up  under  direction  of 
D.  Webster  Barnabee,  who  would  evidently  make  a  first  class  professional 
decorator.] 

James  M.  Carr  made  a  handsome  show  of  miniature  flags,  evergreen 
wreaths  and  festoons  of  spruce. 

E.  G.  Pierce  displayed  a  fine  ensign  ;  porch  festooned  with  evergreen, 
with  portrait  of  Washington  over  the  door. 

At  the  house  of  Mrs.  Jas.  Tucker  two  large  flags  were  thrown  across  the 
street,  (by  Theodore  S.  Harris,  of  Boston,)  one  inscribed,  "God  bless  every 
one  of  you,"  the  other,  "  The  flag  flown  by  U.  S.  S.  Minnesota  on  the  two 
days  of  the  Monitor  and  Merrimac  battles." 

Col.  William  H.  Sise's  house  was  beautifully  dressed.  From  a  large  gilt 
eagle  at  the  centre  of  the  building,  at  the  eaves,  bright  colored  streamers 
radiated  to  the  ground  :  a  glory  of  flags  was  over  the  porch  and  the 
word  "  Welcome"  above  the  flag^. 

At  the  old  Academy  were  displayed  the  most  beautiful  decorations  con- 
ceivable, and  which  attracted  more  attention  and  admiration  than  any 
display  of  flags  and  flowers  could  be  expected  to, — several  hundred  girls 
and  young  women,  in  white  dresses  and  bright  colored  sashes.  These 
decorations  are  referred  to  elsewhere. 

CONGKESS  STREET. 

George  Taylor  had  a  large  flag  suspended  across  the  street. 

E.  S.  Ryder  and  the  Raud  brothers  made  a  very  pretty  display  of  flags 
and  foliage,  with  legends,  "1623,"  "  1776,"  and  "1853.  Home  again, 
1873." 

The  Cutter  mansion  was  dressed  with  flags,  signals,  etc. 

Hon.  W.  H.  Y.  Hackett's  residence  was  handsomely  dressed  with  flags, 
and  bore  the  legend,  "  We  miss  one  Star  (r)"  [Referring  to  the  lamented 
T.  Starr  King.] 

The  Franklin  House  and  stores  beneath  it  were  trimmed  with  bunting, 
and  the  house  bore  the  motto,  "  We  greet  the  present  and  remember  the 
absent." 

Wm.  R.  Preston's  store  in  Congress  Block  had  a  fine  display  of  bunting. 

The  Mercantile  Library  building,  in  which  was  the  press  headquarters, 
was  handsomely  decorated  with  flags  and  streamers;  and  a  large  flag 
inscribed  "  Portsmouth  taking  an  account  of  her  stock,  July  4,  1873,"  was 
stretched  across  the  street. 

MARKET  SQUARE. 

On  Market  square  we  noticed  but  one  store  decorated, — that  of  Capt. 
Jos.  H.  Thacher,  which  had  lines  of  evergreen  from  the  roof  to  the  ground. 

The  only  other  decoration  on  Market  Square  was  a  rude  shed  containing 
a  pump,  the  building  being  dressed  out  with  spruce,  and  bearing  mottoes, 
"  Better  than  gold  is  the  water  cold.  Free.  "  Thanks  be  to  God  Tor 
water.  Free."  "  Cold  water,  the  life  blood  of  the  earth.  Free."  "  A 
beverage  prepared  by  God.  Free."  In  the  shed  were  men  to  pump  and 
deal  out  water  to  all  comers. 

MARKET  STREET. 

George  Hill  &  Co.,  store  finely  trimmed  with  bunting. 
James  H.  Dow  had  streamers  and  banners  in  profusion. 


14 

L.  Blumauer  and  Rider  &  Cunningham  made  a  joint  display  on  their 
large  building.  A  fine  grey  eagle  was  a  prominent  feature  in  the  decora- 
tions at  this  place. 

George  B. Trench  displayed  a  motto,  "Home — the  land  of  our  birth, 
the  holiest  place  on  the  earth."  The  building  was  also  well  decorated. 

Charles  H.  Mendum  &  Co.,  made  a  very  extensive  display.  The 
mottoes  were,  "Portsmouth  expects  her  Sons  to  do  their  duty !"  "The 
girls  are  all  right!  God  bless  "em."  On  the  corners,  in  the  second  story, 
were  medallions  with  mottoes,  "  Old  Portsmouth  welcomes  her  children." 
"  The  knights  of  the  yard-stick  welcome  you." 

John  Stokell  at  the  Spring  Hill  Market,  had  the  motto,  "  Old  Spring 
Hill  welcomes  the  boys. '  The  decorations  of  the  rest  of  the  street  were 
not  notable,  consisting  mainly  of  spruce  and  evergreen. 

VAUGHAN  STREET. 

Most  of  the  houses  on  Vaughan  Street  displayed  single  flags,  etc.,  and 
between  Geo.  W.  Pendexter's  house  and  Stoddard's  stable  was  a  large 
flag  with  the  motto  "  We  greet  you  with  a  cordial  welcome." 

PLEASANT   STREET. 

The  CHEOKICLE  Office  was  trimmed  with  flags  and  bore  the  following 
mottoes:  "Dear  to  our  hearts  are  the  scenes  of  our  childhood."  "A 
greeting  to  the  present."  "  Remembrance  for  the  absent."  "  1623 — 1776. 
— Ever  the  same  old  Portsmouth.  1853 — 1873  !" 

The  vestibule  of  the  Post-Office  was  decorated  with  flags,  and  being 
kept  open  all  day,  furnished  a  cool  resort- for  a  great  many  persons. 

The  large  block  occupied  by  J.  Albert  Walker,  Mrs.  Win.  Pettigrew 
and  Mrs.  Hampti  Kenney,  was  decorated  with  evergreen  wreaths, 
flags,  etc. 

Miss  Caroline  Wendell's  residence  was  ornamented  with  lines  of  flags 
and  mottoes,  "Home,  ever  dear  as  the  place  of  our  childhood."  "  1815, 
1853,  1873;  Milestones  on  our  life  journey." 

Samuel  Adams  displayed  a  flag  with  the  motto  "Welcome  Sons  and 
Daughters  of  Portsmouth,"  and  decorations  of  evergreens. 

A.  F.  Nowell  made  a  neat  display  of  flags,  with  the  mottoes — 
"Home  that  our  feet  may  leave  but  not  our  hearts;  the   chain  may 
lengthen  but  it  never  parts."  "  Our  hearts,  our  hopes,  our  prayers,  our 
tears,  are  all  with  thee,  are  all  with  thee." 

The  large  block  occupied  by  Thomas  H.  Odion,  Miss  R.  A.  Currier  and 
Mrs.  Rundlett  was  finely  trimmed  with  flags  and  streamers,  a  large  star 
of  evergreen,  and  festoons. 

Jos.  R.  Curtis  had  his  store  dressed  with  spruce,  streamers  and  an 
evergreen  star. 

Hon.  Daniel  Marcy  made  a  fine  display  of  ship's  signals,  ensigns,  etc. 

The  residents  at  the  South  End  "  chipped  in"  and  erected  arches  at  the 
junction  of  Pleasant  street  with  Water,  and  on  Mill  Bridge.  These  were 
among  the  most  tasteful  private  displays  made.  They  were  entirely  com- 
posed of  evergreens  and  bloom.  That  on  the  bridge  was  a  double  arch. 
The  motto  on  Water  street  arch  was  "  No  place  like  home."  Baskets  of 
flowers  and  wreaths  were  pendent  from  both.  The  walks  of  the  bridge 
were  lined  with  spruces  and  the  general  effect  was  to  transform  the  whole 
vicinity  into  a  beautiful  bower.  The  work  was  all  done  by  private  hands, 
and  showed  commendable  public  spirit  in  the  celebration. 

F.  S.  Roberts,  H.  F.  Wendell.  F.  and  G.  Bailey  and  Jeremiah  Goodrich, 
at  the  junction  of  South  street  with  Mill  Bridge,  made  very  fine  displays. 

Laskey  &  Pearson's  store  was  dressed  with  wreaths  and  nags. 


15 

WATER   STREET. 

J.  E.  Ham's  house  was  handsomely  decorated  with  small  bannerets  and 
evergreen  wreaths. 

E.  R.  Laighton  displayed  a  large  number  of  miniature  ensigns. 

Jos.  Muchmore's  house  was  finely  dressed  with  flags  and  evergreens,  and 
displayed  the  word  "  Welcome  "  in  mammoth  letters,  done  in  evergreen. 

J  ohn  Dame  displayed  a  large  number  of  small  flags  and  a  large  ensign 
stretched  across  the  street. 

STATE   STREET. 

The  residents  on  this  street  generally  displayed  flags. 

Wingate  N.  Ilsley  had  as  mottoes  on  the  front  of  his  residence,  "  Wel- 
come," "Home  again,"  "Auld  acquaintance."  There  were  various  de- 
vices of  flags  and  wreaths  tastefully  arranged  on  the  front,  with  the  pic- 
ture of  Washington  as  a  centre  piece. 

The  block  at  the  corner  of  State  and  Pleasant  streets,  occupied  by  the 
Journal  and  Times  newspapers,  and  Thomas  S.  Nowell,  was  covered  with 
bunting,  shields,  eagles  and  various  devices  of  the  decorative  art. 

E.  M.  Brown's  residence  was  nicely  dressed,  the  motto  "  Welcome 
home,"  done  in  leaves,  being  over  the  door. 

Whitcomb's  saloon  displayed  numerous  small  flags. 

John  N.  Handy  had  a  fine  display,  flags  being  suspended  from  the 
windows  and  twined  around  the  porch  supports,  with  good  effect. 

Dr.  Parsons  had  evergreen  and  flags,  well  arranged,  on  his  house. 

Thomas  Tredick  and  Alfred  Stavers  had  the  front  of  their  double  house 
ornamented  with  devices  in  evergreen,  and  festoons  of  bright  colored  cloth 
from  porch  to  porch. 

Thomas  S.  Nowell  made  a  very  handsome  display  of  large  and  small 
flags,  evergreen  wreaths  and  festoons,  with  a  shield  and  a  gilt  eagle  over 
the  porch.  Motto,  "  Welcome  home." 

The  house  of  Leonard  and  Charles  C.  Akerman  was  handsomely  deco- 
rated, a  fine  picture  of  Washington,  framed  in  evergreen  occupying  a 
place  over  the  door. 

The  Rockingham  House's  spacious  front  afforded  an  excellent  opportu- 
nity for  display.  From  the  eagle  on  the  flag-staff  streamers  radiated  in  all 
directions.  The  American  and  foreign  colors  were  draped  in  tasteful 
forms  over  porches,  windows,  and  wherever  they  could  be  used  to  good 
effect,  the  centre  piece  being  formed  of  a  large  banner  with  the  words, 
"  Welcome  Home  painted  upon  it.  The  effect  of  the  whole  was  very  fine. 

The  block  occupied  by  J.  P.  Morse  and  B.  F.  Webster  was  handsomely 
dressed  with  flags,  and  festoons  of  evergreen  and  cloth. 

Daniel  Leavitt's  residence  was  choicely  ornamented,  with  flags  and  ever- 
green. Over  the  door  was  a  representation  of  the  traditional  Uncle  Sam, 
striped  trowsers,  carpet-bag  and  all,  with  the  legend,  "  The  son  born  July 
4,  1776."  Between  two  windows  was  a  large  shield  of  evergreen,  above 
which  was  a  fine  picture  of  Washington,  with  the  legend  "  The  father." 

The  double  house  occupied  by  Capt.  Spalding  and  Rev.  Canon  Walsh 
was  very  handsomely  dressed  with  flags  and  evergreen,  and  a  line  of  flags 
was  thrown  across  the  street  from  the  residence  of  H.  H.  Ham. 

A.  H.  Hill's  house  looked  nicely,  with  evergreen  and  flags  festooned. 

Capt.  J.  M.  Hill's  residence  was  decorated,  a  very  pleasing  feature  being 
a  group  of  living  statuary  made  up  of  four  generations.  The  oldest  per- 
son in  the  group  was  Mrs.  Catharine  Brown,  aged  85  years;  the  youngest 
person  was  a  baby  ten  months  old,  named  Gracie  Nowell,  a  great-grand- 
daughter of  Mrs.  Brown's. 

Mrs.  Joseph  Sise  made  a  fine  display,  streamers  extending  from  the  eaves 
of  the  house  to  the  ground,  and  a  large  eagle  at  the  top  making  a  good 
show.  Motto,  "Union,  Liberty;  July  4,  1776,  1873." 


16 

John  Sise's  house  was  handsomely  dressed  with  flags  and  streamers,  and 
&  large  shield. 

The  old  Gov.  Langdon  engine  house  (now  occupied  by  an  Extinguisher 
company)  was  neatly  and  tastefully  dressed  with  flags  and  evergreen. 

CABOT   STREET. 

J.  Brooks'  house  was  covered  with  miniature  ensigns. 

John  P.  Sweetser's  house  was  very  handsomely  decorated  with  evergreen 
wreaths  and  festoons,  flowers  and  flags. 

B.  Norton's  store  was  trimmed  with  flags,  wreaths  and  spruce  trees,  and 
his  house  with  flags. 

Robert  Sides'  house  had  small  flags  and  evergreen  wreaths  and  festoons. 

Mr.  Woods'  house  had  flags  and  evergreens,  with  motto,"  Welcome  home." 

MIDDLE   STREET. 

The  suburban  residence  of  Charles  H.  Mendum,  though  so  far  beyond 
the  tent  ground  that  but  few  persons  could  be  expected  to  see  it,  was 
finely  decorated  and  presented  a  most  attractive  appearance.  There  was 
an  evergreen  arch  over  each  gate,  ornamented  with  shields,  pennants, 
wreaths  and  flowers ;  the  house  was  decorated  with  festoons  of  red,  white 
and  blue  cloth,  festoons  and  wreaths  of  evergreen,  and  flags ;  and  small 
shields  were  placed  over  the  windows.  The  effect  of  the  whole  was  very 
neat  and  pleasing,  and  reflected  credit  on  the  planners  and  executors. 

At  the  entrance  to  the  tent  grounds  was  a  large  arch  of  evergreen  and 
flags,  bearing  the  word  "Welcome." 

The  tent  looked  beautiful,  its  300  feet  of  length  being  bright  with 
banners  of  every  color.  At  the  entrance  to  the  tent  was  an  arch  of 
Roman  design,  surmounted  with  garlands  and  wreaths,  the  American 
shield  forming  the  central  figure,  while  on  the  front  was  the  word  "  wel- 
come" twined  in  flowers.  At  the  top  of  each  column  were  large  masses 
of  flowers.  The  central  arch  was  surmounted  by  the  United  States  coat 
of  arms.  On  either  side  were  tall  flagstaffs  from  which  were  flying  about 
a  hundred  feet  of  flags  forming  another  arch.  Two  lines  of  flags  ran  the 
entire  length  of  both  tents.  The  interior  was  entirely  lined  with  the  flags 
of  all  nations,  caught  at  the  top  and  draped  to  the  sides,  completely  hid- 
ing the  canvass.  Intertwined  was  bunting  of  ail  colors,  the  whole  form- 
ing two  beautiful  canopies.  Around  the  sides  of  the  tent  were  mottoes 
and  shields  and  heraldic  designs.  The  main  motto  at  the  head  of  the  tent 
was  the  words,  in  scroll  letters,  two  and  a  half  feet  long,  "  Welcome  sons  ; 
welcome  daughters." 

W.  P.  Burley  had  an  arch  on  his  gate,  surmounted  by  two  flags. 

Oxford  &  Johnson's  store  was  pretty  well  covered  with  spruce,  evergreen 
wreaths,  and  a  multitude  of  small  flags. 

The  house  occupied  by  Chas.  Marden  and  Robert  Drew  was  liberally 
dressed  out  in  spruce,  and  had  a  big  eagle,  stuffed,  over  the  door. 

Wm.  0.  Sides'  house,  corner  of  Middle  and  Cabot  streets  was  trimmed 
with  spruce  on  the  Middle  street  front,  and  on  the  other  with  flags  ;  and 
a  large  flag  bordered  with  oak  leaves,  and  several  small  flags  waved 
across  Cabot  street. 

Henry  F.  Gerrish's  residence  was  decorated  with   flags   and   evergreen. 

Hon.  John  H.  Bailey's  residence  was  ornamented  with  a  large  eagle, 
flags,  and  evergreen  wreaths  and  festoons.  Mrs.  Peter  Jenness'  man- 
sion was  decorated  with  flags  and  wreaths.  Jos.  H.  Foster's  residence 
bore  numerous  large  flags  and  a  few  small  ones  ;  motto,  "Welcome."  These 
four  buildings,  standing  all  on  the  same  side  of  the  street  and  on  ad- 
joining lots,  presented  a  very  handsome  appearance. 

John  J.  Pickering  had  American  and  foreign  flags  on  either  side  of  the 
door  porch,  and  at  the  top  of  the  porch  the  national  colors  arranged  in 


17 

canopy  form.  The  motto,  "Welcome  home,"  appeared  over  a  kaleido- 
scopic medallion  at  the  front  of  the  porch.  A  line  of  flags  was  also  sus- 
pended across  the  street  at  the  front  of  this  residence. 

Capt.  Wm  L.  Dwight  made  a  good  show  of  flags,  with  a  motto,  "Ports- 
mouth, the  home  of  our  birth." 

Thomas  Neal  had  out  a  couple  of  flags,  and  the  porch  of  his  house  was 
very  beautifully  dressed  in  evergreen,  bright  bunting  and  flowers ;  but 
the  house  is  so  completely  embowered  that  probably  not  one  passer-by  in 
ten  saw  it. 

Wm.  R.  Preston's  fine  grounds  "looked  like  the  Arabian  nights,"  with 
glories  of  flags,  drapod  flags  and  flags  in  festoons,  vases  and  bouquets  of 
flowers  and  unique  devices  in  evergreen,  foliage  and  blossom.  Over  the 
entrance  gate  a  huge  eagle  held  in  its  beak  the  mottoes,  "We'll  not  for- 
get the  dear  old  home  of  boyhood's  happy  days."  "1st  Reunion,  July  4, 
1853.  2d  Reunion  July  4, 1873."  At  the  sides  of  the  entrance,  "Such  is  the 
Patriot's  boast,  Where'ere  he  roams,  His  first  best  country  ever  is  his  home." 
"To  hail  from  Portsmouth  is  an  honor  and  a  password  the  world  over." 

J.  F.  Shores',  corner  of  Richards  avenue,  displayed  the  following  mot- 
to; "Boys,  we  are  glad  to  see  you.  Age  sits  with  grace  upon  your  vis- 
age." The  house  was  also  prettily  trimmed  with  festoons  of  tri-color,  and 
flags.- 

Miss  Larkin's  house  was  profusely  adorned  with  bright-colored  flags, 
the  porch  draped  and  the  windows  festooned ;  and  a  line  of  flags  was 
stretched  across  the  street. 

Charles  Robinson  made  a  fine  display  of  bunting  and  banners,  the 
porch  of  his  residence  being  draped  and  ornamented  with  a  shield.  Over 
the  porch  door  was  a  full-rigged  miniature  ship,  under  which  was  the 
legend  "  An  absent  son  is  thinking  of  you," — an  allusion  to  a  Son  who 
is  away  at  sea. 

The  Parrott  mansion  had  its  porches  draped,  and  lines  of  red,  white 
and  blue  bunting  stretched  from  the  eaves  to  the  fence  in  front,  a  very 
simple  but  very  neat  and  pleasing  decoration. 

E.  F.  Sise's  was  finely  decorated,  with  flags  flying  from  the  windows, 
and  large  flags  stretched  from  the  upper  story  windows  to  the  fence. 
There  was  a  large  shield  over  the  door,  beneath  which  was  a  floral 
wreath  enclosing  a  crystal  star.  Motto,  "  Home,  our  birthright  and  our 
promise." 

Dr.  Coleman's  house  was  neatly  dressed  with  draped  flags. 

HAYMARKET   SQUARE. 

The  decorating  here  was  done  at  the  expense  and  considerably  by  the 
labor  of  the  New  York  delegation,  who  re-christened  the  square  Man- 
hattan Park.  Three  arches  were  erected,  besides  a  music  stand  for  the 
use  of  Downing's  Band,  which  was  handsomely  decorated,  as  was,  indeed, 
the  entire  square,  a  tall  flag-staff  being  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  space. 

The  arch  across  Court  street  was  34  feet  between  perpendiculars  and 
25  feet  high  ;  that  across  Middle  street,  between  the  residences  of  Charles 
Robinson  and  Commodore  Parrot,  38  feet  wide  and  28  feet  high  ;  and  the 
one  between  the  Middle  street  Church  and  B.  F.  Webster's  house,  33  feet 
high  with  50  feet  span. 

The  decorations  of  the  arches,  excepting  the  perpendiculars,  which 
were  of  spruce  trees,  were  entirely  composed  of  flags,  colors  of  different 
nations  being  intertwined  and  streamers  of  different  hues  radiating  in  all 
directions.  At  the  siiles  of  the  triangular  piece  of  ground  were  the  follow- 
ing mottoes:  "  250th  birthday.  A  garland  on  the  brow  of  age."  "  New 
York  to  Portsmouth.  For  ye  are  our  glory  and  joy."  "  Her  children 
rise  up  and  call  her  blessed."  "  Sprigs  of  like  leaves  erect  their  filial 
heads.  '  "  Thoughts  of  past  years  doth  breed  in  us  perpetual  benediction." 


18 

This  locality  was  one  of  the  chief  centres  of  attraction,  and  did  credit  to 
the  taste  and  liberality  of  the  New  York  visitors  as  well  as  to  their 
energy,  for  nearly  all  the  decorating  was  done  in  short  order,  not  many 
hours  before  the  4th. 

COURT  STREET. 

The  house  occupied  by  Gideon  H.  Rundlett  was  ornamented  with 
numerous  wreaths  and  festoons  of  evergreen,  and  bore  this  legend  :  "  The 
old  schoolbouse  where  the  faithful  Taft  held  sway.  The  Sons  returning 
revere  his  memory  to-day." 

The  engine-house  building  was  handsomely  dressed.  A  large  arch,  of 
spruce,  stood  near  the  sidewalk,  and  was  ornamented  with  flags  and  a 
shield,  and  a  big  eagle  on  top.  The  front  of  the  building  was  draped 
with  flags ;  No.  One's  door  was  ornamented  with  flags  and  wreaths,  as  was 
also  No.  Three's  ;  and  over  the  latter  was  a  row  of  small  flags,  and  an 
arch  bearing  the  word  "  "Welcome,"  with  a  most  solemn  looking  stuffed 
owl  on  the  top. 

Capt.  Chas.  H.  Rollins'  house  had  wreaths  of  evergreen,  and  flags  fes- 
tooned, with  motto,  "  Welcome  home." 

Capt.  John  E.  Salter's  residence  presented  a  very  handsome  appearance, 
with  wreaths  and  festoons  of  evergreens,  and  a  large  arch  over  the  gate, 
with  motto,  "  Welcome  home.  The  latch-string  hangs  out." 

In  the  foregoing  list  of  decorations,  which  we  have  endeavored  to 
make  as  full  and  correct  as  possible,  we  have  of  course  omitted  to  make 
mention  of  houses  where  single  flags,  or  other  decorations  of  no  especial 
note  were  displayed ;  and  it  is  very  probable  we  may  have  omitted  some 
which  were  deserving  of  special  mention. 

PRELIMINARIES  IN  BOSTON. 

We  are  indebted  to  the  Rev.  Win.  G.  Nowell,  of  Maiden,  for  the 
following : 

During  the  twenty  years  succeeding  1853,  the  Sons  of  Portsmouth  resi- 
dent in  "Boston  and  Vicinity"  held  no  general  assembly  ;  but  several  so- 
cial reunions  of  portions  of  their  number  took  place,  and  the  spirit  which 
prompted  their  first  return  to  the  old  home  was  not  lost. 

Upon  coming  back  from  that  enjoyable  occasion,  the  executive  com- 
mittee of  the  Boston  Sons  appointed  a  sub-committee  charged  with  the 
duty  of  keeping  alive  the  organization  formed  to  carry  out  the  celebra- 
tion of  that  date,  July  4,  1853,  and  of  remarshalling  the  Sons  wherever 
a  like  occasion  should  require  their  array. 

At  the  expiration  of  ten  years,  namely,  in  1863,  the  question  was  raised 
of  calling  together  the  Sons  for  a  second  return  home  on  the  national  holi- 
day of  that  year  ;  but,  owing  to  the  depressing  effects  of  the  war,  nothing 
was  done  towards  awakening  the  organization  into  activity,  and  it  was 
allowed  to  remain  dormant  until  the  early  spring  of  1873,  when  the  sub- 
committee having  received  from  Portmouth  an  invitation  to  the  Sons 
abroad  to  make  a  second  return  home,  issued  a  circular  signed  by  Thodore 
S.  Harris,  chairman,  and  addressed  to  the  executive  committee,  containing 
an  invitation  to  them  to  meet  at  the  Parker  House,  Boston,  on  the  even- 
ing of  the  20th  of  March. 

This  circular  was  sent  to  those  members  of  the  executive  committee  of 
1853,  that  were  living  and  within  call,  and  to  nearly  one  hundred  per- 
sons not  members  of  that  committee. 

These  persons  were  selected  as  miscellaneously  as  possible,  and  the  re- 
quest to  be  present  at  this  meeting  was  extended  to  them,  because  it  was 
deemed  desirable  to  get  together  a  truly  representative  body  of  the  Sons 
of  Portsmouth  then  resident  in  Boston  and  Vicinity,  and  especially  to  in- 
clude in  the  number  men  who  had  come  to  the  activity  of  the  earlier  part 


19 

of  mid-life  during  the  twenty  years  which  had  elapsed  since  the  former 
Return,  or  who,  by  change  of  residence,  had  placed  themselves  within  the 
limits  of  the  Boston  organization  since  1853. 

In  response  to  this  invitation  nearly  seventy  gentlemen  assembled  at 
the  place  and  time  appointed.  Mr.  Francis  E.  Parker,  the  President  of 
the  organization  in  1853,  was  called  upon  to  preside  at  this  meeting  ;  and 
a  committee  of  eleven  was  selected  by  the  chair  at  the  request  of  the  per- 
sons present. 

This  committee  as  finally  constituted  consisted  of  Messrs.  M.  P.  Ken- 
nard,  John  D.  Parker,  Frank  Goodwin,  Isaac  W.  Frye,  Manning  Emery, 
Rev.  E.  A.  Rand,  Geo.  S.  Walker,  Chas.  L.  Woodbury,  Geo.  D.  Wise, 
Chas.  L.  Damrell,  Thos.  B.  Wiggin. 

They  were  charged  with  the  double  duty  of  nominating  officers  of  the 
organization,  and  of  calling  a  mass  meeting  of  the  Sons  living  in  and 
about  Boston  to  pa*s  upon  the  nominations  to  be  offered  by  this  committee 
and  to  make  a  selection  of  officers. 

A  very  strong  determination  was  expressed  by  all  the  gentlemen  who 
were  chosen  to  the  prominent  offices  of  the  organization  in  1853,  not  to 
hold  office  longer.  This  expression  upon  their  part  being  earnest  and 
positive  was  regarded  by  the  committee  of  eleven,  as  was  also  the  desire 
manifested  by  the  leaders  of  the  movement  in  1853  that  the  younger  men 
among  the  Sons  should  now  come  to  the  front,  perform  a  part  of  the  la- 
bor and  receive  their  share  of  the  honors  incident  to  the  new  occasion. 
That  committee  nominated  a  large  number  of  gentlemen  for  positions  upon 
the  different  permanent  committees  of  the  organization,  these  positions 
numbering  in  all  between  sixty  and  seventy.  It  was  arranged  by  the 
committee  that  the  majority  of  the  permanent  Executive  Committee 
should  be  composed  of  the  chairmen  of  the  seven  other  committees.  They 
also  nominated  a  President  of  the  Association,  two  Secretaries,  and  a  list 
of  Vice-Presidents  whose  positions  were  to  be  strictly  honorary.  The 
President  was  made,  ex-officio,  chairman  of  the  executive  committee. 

These  nominations  being  completed,  the  committee  of  eleven  called  a 
Mass  Meeting  of  the  Sons  at  Wesleyan  Hall,  Boston,  on  Thursday  even- 
ing April  12,  1873. 

After  spending  considerable  time  in  social  converse  the  meeting  was 
called  to  order  by  Mr.  Geo.  D.  Wise,  and  Hon.  Geo.  P.  Sanger  was  unan- 
imously elected  chairman. 

Judge  Sanger  made  some  appropriate  remarks  upon  taking  the  chair, 
and  Mr.  Chas.  L.  Damrell  was  elected  secretary. 

Mr.  Parry  Kennard,  Esq.,  Chairman  of  the  committee  appointed  at  the 
Parker  House  meeting  then  submitted  a  list  of  nominations.  The  report 
was  accepted  and  the  gentlemen  who  had  been  nominated  were  unani- 
mously elected,  each  class  of  officers  being  voted  upon  separately. 

The  following  is  a  complete  list  of  the  officers  of  the  association  as 
finally  arranged. 

President,  Frank  Goodwin,  Esq. 

Vice  Presidents,  lion.  Francis  E.  Parker,  Samuel  H.  Gookiu,  Rev.  A.  P.  Pcahody,  D.  D. 
James  T.  FieWs,  Theodore  S.  Harris,  M.  P.  Kennard,  Hon.  Kobert  M.  Mason,  Hon.  Geo.  P. 
Sanger,  Hon.  Charles  L.  Woodbury,  Com.  E.  G.  Parrott,  U.  S.  N.,  Rev.  Edward  A.  Rand, 
Avery  Plnmer,  Robert  L.  Harris,  Albert  Remick,  Albert  F.  Sise,  Hon.  Chas.  B.  Goodrich, 
James  H.  Weeks,  B.  P.  Shillaber,  David  W.  Cheever,  M.  D  ,  Isaac  Watts  Frye,  Rev.  Win. 
Lamson,  D.  D.,  Rev.  S.  II.  Winkley,  Rev.  A.  J.  Patterson,  George  A.  Fields,  John  D.  Parker, 
Rev.  Thomas  R.  Lambert,  D.  D.,  Rev.  Joshua  R.  Peirce.  Rev.  George  M.  Adams,  John  G. 
Webster,  W.  H.  Kennard,  George  W.  Bazin,  Gideon  Beck,  William  H.  Hill,  Geo.  F.  Emery, 
George  K.  Hooper,  William  N.  Melcher,  Mark  R.  Wendell.  William  H.  Goodwin,  Henry  K. 
Beal,  Thomas  B.  Aldrich,  Thornton  K.  Lothrop,  Wm.  T.  Eustis,  Geo.  D.  Wise,  Thomas  J. 
Whidden,  C.  C.  llyraes. 

EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE. 

Frank  Goodwin,  Charles  L.  Damrell,  George  D.  Wise,  Thos.  J.  Whidden,  Ezra  A.  Stevens, 
William  Simes,  Jr..  Woodward  Emery,  George  S.  Walker,  William  G.  Nowell,  Henry  C. 
Biirnabee,  Chan.  C.  Melcher.  A.  H.  Chapman. 

Secretaries,  Charles  L.  Damrell,  Charles  C.  Melcher. 


20 

COMMITTEE  ON  TRANSPORTATION. 
Woodward  Emery,  N.  Parker  Laighton,  Qeo.  K.  Hooper,  A.  H.  Chapman. 

COMMITTEE  ON  BADGES,  BANNERS  AND  MOTTOES. 

Clm«.  L.  Damrell,  Henry  C.  Barnabee,  A.  H.  Chapman,  Rev.  £.  A.  Rand,  Win.  II.  Bath, 
Alex.  L.  Hayes,  Wm.  H.  Preston. 

COMMITTEE  ON   SUBSCRIPTION  AND  FINANCE. 

William  Simes,  Jr.,  Chas.  H.  IMmunds,  Thomas  W.  Penhallow,  Wm.  A.  Hayes,  Manning 
Emery,  Chas.  C.  Melcher,  Jas.  A.  Nowell,  Jan.  K.  Stanwood,  Chas.  C.  Harvey,  H.  F.  Adwers. 

COMMITTEE  ON  PUBLISHING  AND  ADVERTISING. 

Wm.  G.  Nowell,  A.  H.  Chapman,  John  H.  >liller,  Chas.  G.  Brewster,  Thomas  B.  Wiggin 
James  W.  Kicker. 

COMMITTEE  ON  MUSIC. 

Henry  C.  Barnabee,  C.  C.  Rhymes,  T.  W.  Penhallow,  N.  Parker  Laighton,  F.  N.  Lambert, 
Chas.  C.  Melcher,  John  Sanger,  John  G.  Thompson,  Jr. 

COMMITTEE  ON  CONFERENCE  WITH  TOWNS. 

Bzra  A.  Stevens,  Woodard  Emery,  John  P.  Lyman,  Jr.,  Chas.  F.  Sise,  Alex.  L.  Hayes, 
John  H.  Miller. 

COMMITTEE  ON  ESCORT. 

Geo.  8.  Walker,  Thog.  J.  Whidden,  Clias.  H.  Edmunds,  N.  Parker  Laighton,  J.  Edward 
Knowlton,  Fred  N.  Lambert.C.  C.  Rhymes,  J.  P.  Treadwell,  E.  A.  Stevens,  Jr.,  C.  E.  Jackson. 

Chief  Marshal,  Hon.  Ezra  A.  Stevens. 

Aids.  Col.  J.  H.  Jackson,  William  Simes,  Jr. 

First  Atsistant  Marshal,  Woodward  Emery. 

A  ids,  Chas.  B.  Gookin,  Wm.  A.  Hayes. 

Marshals,  Henry  C.  Barnabee,  N.  Parker  Laighton,  John  P.  Lyman,  Jr.,  Jas.  A.  Nowell, 
JaR.  R.  Stanwood,  A.  H.  Chapman,  Chas.  H.  Edmonds,  N.  F.  Berry,  South  Boston;  Horace  B. 
Butler,  East  Boston ;  John  N.  Dennett,  Charlestown ;  John  P.  Somerby,  Salem ;  C.  C.  Mel- 
cher, J.  W.  Sanger,  Manning  Emery,  Thos.  W.  Penhallow,  Winslow  L.  Tucker,  E.  Allen 
Stevens,  Jr.,  J.  Idward  Knowlton,  Frederick  N.  Lambert,  Horace  Adwers,  Wm.  H.  Preston. 

The  choice  of  a  chief  marshal  was  assigned  to  the  Executive  Committee. 

In  response  to  repeated  calls,  Frank  Goodwin  Esq,  the  president  of 
the  association,  made  a  brief  speech,  in  which  he  thanked  his  fellow- 
townsmen  for  the  honor  they  had  conferred  upon  him,  and  promised  to 
use  his  utmost  efforts  to  make  their  coming  visit  to  Portsmouth  a  success 
in  every  respect.  It  was  not  common,  he  said,  to  see  so  many  men, 
many  of  them  unacquainted  with  each  other,  assembled  together  with 
such  friendly  and  cordial  unanimity,  but  the  sight  was  a  beautiful  one 
when  it  was  taken  into  account  that  they  were  all  bound  together  by  the 
strong  tie  of  a  common  home.  The  coming  visit  to  the  home  of  their  youth 
had  m  it  a  triple  significance — they  were  going  home  to  celebrate  the 
Fourth  of  July,  they  were  also  to  celebrate  the  250th  anniversary  of  their 
native  city,  and,  finally,  it  was  to  be  a  grand  welcome  to  their  beloved 
home.  Mr.  Goodwin  then  spoke  of  the  glory  of  the  sons  of  Portsmouth 
in  former  days,  and  notably  of  their  achievements  in  the  revolution  of 
the  colonies.  It  was  not  generally  known,  he  said,  but  it  was  true,  that 
the  first  real  opposition  to  the  British  troops  was  offered  by  Portsmouth 
men,  who,  under  the  leadership  of  Langdon,  Pickering  and  Sullivan,  in 
1774,  attacked  Fort  William  and  Mary,  and,  after  resistance  on  the  part 
of  the  garrison,  captured  it,  and  the  ammunition  taken  from  that  fort 
was  afterward  used  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill ;  and  when  we  consider 
that  the  patriot  troops  were  compelled  to  retire  from  that  contest  through 
a  lack  of  ammunition,  who  can  say  but  that  this  very  powder  captured 
by  these  Portsmouth  men  rendered  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  possible. 

We  regret  that  we  have  not  a  full  report  of  Mr.  Goodwin's  remarks. 
They  were  spirited  and  eloquent,  and  were  warmly  applauded.  Some 
numerous  allusions  to  the  selection  of  a  chief  marshal  caused  great  mer- 
riment. Brief  and  telling  speeches  were  made  by  Messrs.  James  T. 
Fields,  Chas.  L.  Woodbury,  Samuel  H.  Gookin,  W.  G.  Nowell,  M.  P.  Ken- 


21 

nard,  John  G.  Webster,  Rev.  E.  A  Rand,  Master  C.  Howard  Walker  and 
others.  The  remarks  of  these  gentlemen  abounded  in  allusions  to  the 
incidents  of  their  youth  in  the  good  old  town  of  Portsmouth  and  liter- 
ally kept  the  audience  in  a  roar  of  laughter. 

Pleasant  speeches  were  also  made  by  Samuel  J.  Nowell,  Esq.,  and  Col. 
E.  R.  Goodrich,  who  were  present  from  New  York,  and  gave  encouraging 
accounts  of  what  the  Sons  were  doing  in  that  city. 

The  meeting  was  held  to  a  late  hour,  and  much  enthusiasm  was  shown 
throughout. 

Under  the  auspices  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Association  of 
the  Sons  resident  in  Boston  and  Vicinity,  meetings  of  Portsmouth  people 
in  South  Boston,  East  Boston,  Cliarlestown,  Chelsea,  Maiden,  Cambridge 
and  Salem  were  held  from  time  to  time,  and  branch  organizations  were 
established  in  those  places  auxiliary  to  the  general  organization.  We 
give  the  following  report  of  the  preliminary  doings  in  South  Boston,  as 
a  sample  illustration  of  the  enthusiasm  of  these  suburban  towns. 

Tuesday  evening,  May  27,  a  meeting  was  held  in  the  Vestry  of  the  E. 
St.  Cong.  Church.  About  fifty  persons  were  present.  Rev.  E.  A.  Rand 
was  chosen  chairman,  Mr.  N.  F.  Berry  secretary.  It  was  a  wide-awake 
gathering.  A  hearty  home  feeling  was  manifested.  The  meeting  was 
addressed  by  Frank  Goodwin,  Esq.,  Mr.  Win.  Simes  and  Mr.  Woodward 
Emery  from  the  city.  Hon.  Hiram  Bowles,  Mr.  N.  F.  Berry,  Rev. 
Edw'd  A.  Rand,  Messrs.  Geo.  Tuckerman,  Cha's  Horsey,  Wm.  Rand,  Ed- 
win Spinney  and  Horace  Stickney  spoke  for  South  Boston. 

The  following  persons  were  appointed  to  look  after  the  Sons  and 
Daughters  in  the  neighborhood  and  secure  all  for  the  celebration  ;  Messrs. 
N.  F.  Berry,  Willis  Mendum,  Horace  Stickney,  Albert  Sheafe,  John  N. 
Frost,  Wm.  Rand,  Edw'd  A.  Rand  and  Edwin  Spinney  ;  and  Mrs.  F. 
Orcutt,  Miss  S.  Garrett,  Mrs.  S.  Gray,  Mrs.  T.  L.  Frost  and  Mrs.  Brannigan. 

This  committee  subsequently  organized  with  Mr.  Berry  as  its  chairman 
and  Mr.  Sheafe  secretary.     It  held  several  meetings,  raised  funds  for  the 
treasury  of  the  Boston  organization,  invited  home  all  it  could  reach,  and 
one  of  its  last  acts  was  to  order  two  horse-cars  for  the  morning  of  the  4th  ' 
to  carry  to  the  Eastern  Depot  all  travelers  Portsmouth  bound. 

These  meetings  in  the  towns  in  the  neighborhood  of  Boston  were  ad- 
dressed by  members  of  the  central  Executive  Committee  and  by  gentle- 
men residing  in  these  respective  places,  the  best  of  feeling  prevailing. 

The  last  grand  rally  was  held  in  Wesleyan  Hall  on  Friday  Evening, 
June  28,  a  report  of  which  we  copy  from  the  Portsmouth  Chronicle  of 
July  1st. 

THE  BOSTONIANS  WIDE  AWAKE. 

It  was  our  good  fortune  to  be  present  at  a  meeting  of  the  Sons  and 
Daughters  of  Portsmouth  resident  in  and  about  Boston,  on  Friday  even- 
ing last.  Frank  Goodwin  Esq.,  President  of  the  Association,  opened  the 
speaking  with  an  eloquent  address,  detailing  the  workings  of  the  organ- 
ization, its  intentions  and  expectations.  Following  him,  Prof.  A.  P. 
Peabody,  of  Harvard  College,  feelingly  referred  to  old  associations  with 
Portsmouth  people,  whom  he  met  in  every  country  he  visited  and  all  of 
whom  spoke  lovingly  of  old  Strawberry  Bank.  He  was  proud  to  meet 
them  anywhere  and  to  take  them  by  the  hand.  The  coming  reunion 
would  bring  back  many  pleasant  memories  which  would  not  be  forgotten. 
These  memories  would  be  cherished  many  years  hence  when  these  who 
took  part  in  the  reunion  of  1853  have  passed  away.  President  Goodwin 
next  called  up  Hon.  Ezra  A.  Stevens,  who  responded  in  a  most  felicitous 
manner,  as  follows  : — 

"  Considerable  curiosity  has  been  felt  to  know  who  would  have  temerity 
and  self-assurance  enough  to  accept  the  Chief  Marshalship  of  our  proces- 
sion, after  what  was  said  in  this  hall  a  few  weeks  since.  Had  I  been  present 


22 

at  that  meeting,  it  is  very  doubtful,  indeed  whether  I  should  have  occupied 
my  present  position  ;  for  the  description  of  the  proper  man  for  a  Chief 
Marshal,  as  given  by  our  worthy  President  on  that  occasion,  was  sufficient 
to  deter  a  much  braver  man  than  myself  from  accepting  it.  Why,  sir,  if 
your  speech  has  been  correctly  reported  to  me,  you  deemed  it  essential 
that  the  Marshal  should  be  tall  and  noble  looking,  as  Sanger  ;  sharp 
eyed  as  Storer  ;  enthusiastic  as  Gookin  ;  brilliant  as  Kennard  ;  and  en- 
ergetic as  Harris.  He  must  possess  the  legal  lore  of  Woodbury  ;  the  elo- 
quence of  Parker ;  the  silvery  speech  and  graceful  diction  of  Fields  ;  the 
poetic  humor  of  Shillaber  ;  the  inimitable  drollery  of  Barnabee  ;  and  the 
military  genius  and  prestige  of  Jackson — in  short  he  must  possess  all  the 
graces  of  all  the  gifted  sons  of  Portsmouth  ;  must  be  a  poet  and  a  scholar, 
a  hero  and  a  saint!  Now,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  I  think  you  will  all 
agree  with  me,  that  if  any  such  man  as  that  were  living,  he  must,  of 
necessity,  have  been  born  in  Portsmouth  ;  for  only  old  Strawberry  Bank, 
herself,  could  ever  have  given  birth  to  such  a  prodigy  !  But  there  is  no 
such  person.  The  gods  do  not  bestow  all  their  graces  upon  any  one  man. 
And  your  executive  committee,  being  satisfied  of  the  fact,  have  rushed  to 
the  opposite  extreme  and  seized  upon  one  who  is  destitute  of  all.  But, 
fellow  townsmen,  while  your  Marshal  lays  no  claim  whatever  to  any  of 
the  gifts  or  graces  referred  to,  he  is  conscious  of  possessing  at  least  two 
qualifications  for  the  offices — a  heart  full  of  love  to  old  Portsmouth,  and 
to  all  her  sons  and  daughters  ;  and  a  determination  to  do  all  in  his  power 
to  make  our  procession  a  success.  And  in  his  efforts  to  this  end  he  asks 
your  hearty  co-operation. 

Mr.  Chairman,  vou,  at  least  can  bear  me  witness  that  it  was  with  ex- 
treme reluctance  I  consented  to  accept  this  position  and  it  was  only  when 
assured  in  the  most  positive  manner  by  the  executive  committee  and  some 
of  our  older  men  that  I  could  be  of  real  service  to  our  organization  that 
I  did  so.  I  was  by  no  means  insensible  of  the  honor  conferred  upon  me, 
but  I  preferred  for  various  reasons  to  remain  in  the  ranks. 

When  this  subject  was  first  agitated,  I  hoped  that  our  former  chief-mar- 
shal would  swing  his  baton  again  this  time,  for  certainly  no  man  could 
do  it  better  ;  but  I  was  told  that  the  former  officers  had  declined  to  take 
any  prominent  positions  now  ;  they  consented,  however,  to  stand  as  god- 
fathers to  the  movement,  and  to  give  us  their  countenance,  advice  and 
money  ;  and  nobly  have  they  redeemed  their  promise.  To  one  of  them, 
Mr.  Theodore  S.  Harris,  we  are  under  special  obligation.  He  has  not 
only  given  us  the  benefit  of  his  valuable  experience,  but  has  worked  with 
us  night  and  day,  sacrificing  time,  money  and  health  to  carry  forward  the 
present  movement.  I  feel  that  every  son  of  Portsmouth  owes  him  a  debt 
of  gratitude  for  his  unselfish  labors. 

This  large  audience  gives  token  that  the  wish  to  re-visit  the  old  home- 
stead is  very  strong  in  the  hearts  of  the  absent  sons  and  daughters  of 
Portsmouth.  Dear  old  Portsmouth !  my  birthplace  and  my  home  for  nearly 
forty  years  !  Every  foot  of  her  soil  is  as  dear  to  my  heart,  as  it  is  fresh 
in  my  memory,  and  her  children  too,  playmates  of  my  youth — compan- 
ions of  my  maturer  years  ;  I  shall  never  forget  them  while  life  lasts. 

There  may  be  living  a  man  with  heart  so  cold,  and  mind  so  mean,  as 
to  have  no  desire  to  return  to  the  home  of  his  kindred,  to  the  place  that 
gave  him  birth,  and  to  which  he  is  indebted  for  all  that  he  is  and  all  that 
he  has.  If  so,  I  envy  not  that  man  his  feelings,  be  he  rich  as  Croasus,  or 
poor  as  a  church  mouse. 

I  have  not  been  so  unfortunate  as  to  meet  such  an  one :  but  on  the 
other  hand,  I  have  seen  scores,  and  hundreds,  whose  hearts  are  all  alive 
with  enthusiasm — men  of  leisure,  and  men  of  toil, — men  who  wield  the 
pen,  and  men  who  swing  the  adze  and  shove  the  foreplane — veterans  of 
three  score  years  and  ten,  and  lads  not  out  of  their  teens.  All,  all  seem 
ready  and  anxious  to  return  once  more  to  the  scenes  of  their  youth. 


23 

Now,  sir,  we  utilize  all  this  enthusiasm,  to  have  it  developed  in  the 
form  of  a  splendid  procession.  Old  Portsmouth  has  honored  herself,  and. 
her  sons  by  her  munificent  invitation.  Let  us  honor  ourselves  and  old 
Portsmouth  by  marching  in  solid  columns  through  the  streets,  and  mak> 
ing  them  ring  with  our  glad  hurrahs,  on  the  nation's  birthday — testify- 
ing at  once  our  love  of  home  and  love  of  country  ;  for  love  of  home  is 
patriotism  of  the  purest,  truest,  type.  We  are  noue  the  less  good  citizens 
of  this  commonwealth  because  of  our  attachment  to  the  old  Granite  State- 
none  the  less  true  Bostonians  because  we  still  cling  to  "  old  Strawberry 
Bank."  In  fact,  we  are  better  citizens  of  the  one,  because  of  our  affection 
for  the  other.  And  we  have  good  reason  to  be  proud  of  our  old  home. 
The  weight  of  250  years  rests  upon  the  paternal  mansion  ;  it  is  a  trifle 
antiquated  to  be  sure  ;  but  there  is  a  royal  family  in  it  still. 

What  other  town  in  this  broad  land  or  in  any  other,  has  ever  twice 
called  home  her  absent  sons,  and  spread  for  them  a  festive  board  ?  And', 
we  are  going  home,  too,  this  time,  God  willing,  Sons  and  Daughters, 
Grandsons  and  Grandfathers — a  family  party — to  enjoy  a  general  thanks- 
giving on  the  Fourth  of  July.  We  mean  to  throw  care  to  the  winds,, 
shake  the  dust  from  our  brains,  and  the  cobwebs  from  our  hearts,  and- 
grow  young  again.  We  mean  to  have  a  grand  good  time,  generally. 

The  authorities  at  home  have  appropriated  money  with  unparalled  gen- 
erosity, and  are  making  very  extensive  preparations  for  our  reception. 
It  would  be  decidedly  ungrateful,  to  say  the  least,  for  us  to  slight  any 
portion  of  their  entertainment — especially  the  great  feature  of  the  day — 
the  proces|ion.  Not  to  walk  in  it  would  be  like  refusing  to  recognize 
one's  own  mother  in  the  street.  By  taking  our  places  in  the  ranks,  we 
shall  show  our  respect  to  the  whole  city,  and  our  appreciation  of  their  gen- 
erous welcome  which  we  shall  read  in  every  waving  flag,  shall  breathe  in 
the  perfume  of  every  flower,  and  hear  in  every  strain  of  music  or  chime 
of  bells. 

We  want  to  see  in  the  procession  on  the  Fourth,  every  son  of  Ports- 
mouth whatever  his  name  or  age,  rank,  or  condition.  One  man  will  be 
just  as  welcome  as  another.  We  are  all  Portsmouth  boys  now — the  same 
boys  that  skated,  and  swam,  and  fished,  and  played  hoop  together,  twenty, 
thirty,  forty,  fifty  years  ago  ;  and  we  want  to  walk  side  by  side,  once 
more,  as  we  did  in  days  gone  by. 

Grandsons  too,  old  and  young,  born  in  Boston  or  elsewhere  will  be  wel- 
come also.  We  will  adopt  them,  Sir,  into  our  Portsmouth  Israel,  as  Eph- 
raim  and  Manasseh  were  adopted  by  the  patriarch  of  old  ;  they  shall  be 
Sons  like  ourselves,  and  reckoned  with  the  tribes. 

All  such  will  be  welcomed  most  heartily.  Come  in  then,  former  resii 
dents  of  Portsmouth,  we  want  you  to  stand  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  us. 

And  there  are  scores  of  men,  not  born  in  the  old  homestead,  whose  res- 
idence there  for  years  has  made  them  part  and  parcel  of  the  family,  and 
whose  attachment  to  the  place  is  as  strong  as  that  of  the  native  born  Sons. 
Their  influence  was  felt  for  good  in  the  schools  and  churches,  in  the  politics 
and  business  of  the  town  ;  their  departure  therefrom  was  sincerely  mourned 
and  their  names  are  household  words  in  many  a  family,  still." 

One  of  the  toasts  given  at  our  former  re-union  was  the  following — by 
Israel  P.  Kimball,  Esq. 

"  The  Daughters  of  Portsmouth" 

Though  native  Sons  forsake  their  homes 

And  dwell  the  country  o'er, 
Her  Daughters,  fairest  of  the  fair, 

Adopt  as  many  more. 

And  we  don't  forget  the  boys  who  married  our  girls.  As  the  daughters 
cannot  walk  in  our  procession  themselves,  they  must  be  represented  there 
by  their  husbands.  Come  in  then  sons-in-law,  we  say;  thrice  welcqme  to 


24 

you,  also.  Our  hearts  are  large  enough  to  take  in  every  man  who  is  in 
any  way  connected  with  old  Strawberry-Bank,  and  we  want  to  see  them 
all  in  line  on  the  Fourth,  a  column  a  thousand  strong  ;  a  procession  that 
for  size  and  character  will  exceed  any  ever  seen  in  old  Portsmouth  ;  a  pro- 
cession that  will  reflect  credit  upon  ourselves,  and  upon  which  our  friends 
at  home  can  look  with  pride  and  satisfaction." 

S.  H.  Gookin,  Esq.,  tne  chief  Marshal  of  Boston  delegation  in  1853, 
followed  in  a  happy  speech,  dwelling  upon  the  remembrance  of  that  re- 
union, and  the  old  scenes  of  boyhooa s  pranks  at  Puddle  Dock,  Point  of 
Graves,  South  Mill  Bridge  and  Spring  Market. 

Albert  F.  Sise,  Esq.,  paid  a  touching  tribute  to  several  Portsmouth  Sons 
who  died  for  their  country  in  the  rebellion — and  enlivened  the  meeting  by 
reference  to  bon-fires  on  the  night  before  the  4th  and  the  smashing  of 
pumpkin  lanterns  on  Pope  night. 

Mayor  Marvin  was  enthusiastically  received  and  with  a  few  well  chosen 
words  invited  all  present  to  come  home  next  Friday.  Mr.  William  Simes, 
jr.,  Rev.  E.  A.  Rand,  Rev.  Wm.  G.  Nowell,  and  Mr.  Woodward  Emery 
spoke  briefly,  showing  that  the  young  men  who  have  left  Portsmouth  are 
not  a  whit  behind  their  elder  brethren  in  eloquence. 

After  the  conclusion  of  the  regular  business  of  the  meeting,  remarks  were 
made  by  Messrs.  Samuel  A.  Badger,  Geo.  K.  Hooper,  Rev.  George  M. 
Adarns  and  others  of  Boston,  and  by  Capt.  J.  Albert  Sanborn  and  Geo. 
W.  Marston  of  Portsmouth.  Our  citizens  have  but  little  idea  of  the  fervent 
feeling  of  tenderness  which  bind  the  absent  Sons  to  old  Strawberry  Bank 
and  which  finds  expression  when  they  meet  friends  from  honje  to  whom 
they  can  express  their  gratification  and  delight  at  the  preparations  making 
to  receive  them. 

PRELIMINARIES  IN  NEW  YORK. 

The  first  steps  in  response  to  the  circular  issued  by  the  Home  Invitation 
Committee  on  the  23rd  of  Dec.,  1872,  were  taken  by  the  Sons  in  New 
York  ;  and  we  print  herewith  their  Circular  issued  but  12  days  subsequent, 
and  the  Chronicle  report  of  the  meeting  called  by  it. 
REUNION  OF  THE  SONS  AND  DAUGHTERS  OF  THE  CITY  OF  PORTSMOUTH, 

N.  H.,  JULY  4th,  1873. 

Extract  from  CIECULAE  issued  by  Committee  on  Invitations. 

"The  Citizens  of  PORTSMOUTH,  N.  H.,  will  commemorate  the  250th 
Anniversary  of  the  settlement  of  the  City,  and  the  20th  Anniversary  of 
the  visit  of  the  Sons,  by  a  Reunion  of  the  Sons  and  Daughters  resident 
abroad,  at  the  old  homestead,  on  the  4ra  OF  JULY,  1873.  A  cordial  in- 
vitation is  extended  to  all  natives  and  former  residents  to  participate  in 
the  proposed  celebration.  The 

Committee  recommend  that  Associations  of  Sons  of  Portsmouth  be  formed 
in  every  city  and  neighborhood  throughout  the  Country." 

Wm.  H.  Sise,  George  L.  Treadwell,  T.  E.  0.  Marvin,  Thomas  S.  Nowell, 
George  W.  Marston,  N.  Dana  Whipple,  Manning  Emery,  Marcellus  Buf- 
ford,  Gardner'M.  Goodrich,  J.  Albert  Sanborn:  Com.  on  invitations. 

Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  Dec-  23d,  1872. 

In  response  to  this  Invitation  and  recommendation,  it  has  been  thought 
proper  to  call  a  meeting  of  the  Sons  and  Daughters  of  Portsmouth  resident 
in  this  City  and  Brooklyn,  to  be  held  at  the  St.  Cloud  Hotel,  Broadway, 
cor.  42nd  Street  (Messrs.  Rand  Bros.,  Prop's),  on  Thursday  evening,  Janu- 
ary 9th,  at  8  o'clock. 

There  has  already  been  made  a  List  of  upwards  of  200  names  of  natives 
and  former  residents  of  Portsmouth,  now  living  in  New  York  and  Brook- 
lyn, and  it  is  believed  that  it  can  be  largely  increased. 

It  is  hoped  that  every  Son  and  Daughter  of  our  native  City,  receiving 
this  notice,  will  attend  this  first  meeting. 


25 


"  Oh,  take  us  back  with  all  our  years, 

Ye  treasured  haunts  of  youth! 
Forgive  a  few  fond  foolish  tears, 

The  heart's  warm  stamp  of  Truth  I 
We  come  in  manhood's  riper  hours 

To  lay  our  garlands  down, 
And  braid  a  wreath  of  fresher  flowers 

For  thee  our  native  town  I" 


"God  bless  the  spot  we  love  so  well — 

The  earth  has  none  more  fair; 
'Tis  honest  pride, — our  bosoms  swell 

To  breathe  their  native  air ! 
Come  lads,  a  cheer  to  speak  our  joy, 

Whilt!  here  our  flag  unfurls — 
A  health  for  Portsmouth  Man  and  Boy, 

And  don't  forget  the  Girls." 


j  3.  T.  FIELDS,  AT  FIRST  REUNION, 

\JCLT4th,  1863. 

New  York,  January  6th,  1873. 

The  following  is  the  report  of  the  Chronicle,  concerning  the  meeting 
called  in  obedience  to  the  foregoing  circular. 

A  very  satisfactory  meeting  of  the  Sons  and  Daughters  of  Portsmouth, 
resident  in  New  York  and  vicinity,  was  held  at  the  St.  Cloud  Hotel  on 
Thursday  evening.  The  Messrs.  Rand  placed  one  of  their  fine  suites  of 
private  parlors  at  the  disposal  of  their  friends,  and  were  active  in  their 
endeavors  to  advance  the  objects  of  the  meeting.  Mr.  S.  J.  Nowell  called 
the  meeting  to  order  and  nominated  Col.  E.  R.  Goodrich  as  Chairman,  and 
Mr.  John  L.  Salter  as  Secretary,  and  the  nominations  were  confirmed 
unanimously.  Col.  Goodrich  asked  to  be  excused  from  acting  in  any 
official  capacity,  although  willing  to  serve  "in  the  ranks"  as  earnestly  as 
any,  but  the  meeting  urged  his  acceptance  of  the  chair,  which  he  finally 
took,  with  a  few  appropriate  remarks  on  the  object  of  the  meeting  and  the 
reunion  of  the  Sons  next  July. 

It  was  moved  that  a  permanent  organization  of  a  Society  of  Sons  be 
effected,  and  that  the  chair  appoint  a  committee  of  five  to  present  to  the 
meeting  a  board  of  officers,  to  appoint  an  executive  committee  and  prepare 
a  plan  of  organization.  The  Chairman  appointed  as  a  committee,  Messrs. 
Sarnuel  J.  Nowell,  S.  G.  Folsom,  Henry  S.  Lambert  and  George  J.  Laigh- 
ton.  The  committee  retired  for  consultation  on  the  board  of  officers. 

During  their  absence  the  assemblage,  which  now  crowded  the  large 
parlors,  interchanged  pleasant  greetings  and  congratulations,  many  of 
those  present  not  having  met  for  years.  The  list  of  Sons  and  Daughters 
resident  in  New  York,  numbering  over  two  hundred,  was  read  by  Mr. 
Salter.  At  nine  o'clock  the  committee  reported  the  subjoined  board  of 
officers,  and  on  motion  they  were  unanimously  elected. 

President,  ARCHIBALD  A.  PETEKSON. 

Vice  Presidents,  Charles  L.  Frost,  Edwiu  R.  Goodrich,  D.  D.  Badger, 
Jacob  H.  Thompson,  Thomas  P.  Salter. 

Secretary,  E.  P.  Nowell. 

Assistant  Seeretary,  John  L.  Salter. 

Treasurer,  Jacob  Wendell. 

It  was  moved  and  seconded  that  the  chair  appoint  a  committee  to  advise 
those  gentlemen  of  their  election,  and  Col.  Goodrich  appointed  Messrs. 
George  J.  Laighton  and  Samuel  J.  Nowell. 

It  was  moved  by  Mr.  Nowell  "  That  the  Board  of  Officers  have  authority 
to  fill  vacancies  which  may  arise  in  the  Board."  Passed. 

Mr.  Wendell  said  that  he  felt  obliged  to  decline  to  accept  the  office  of 
Treasurer,  that  he  should  be  pleased  to  do  privately  all  in  his  power  to 
further  the  objects  of  the  meeting,  but  his  own  business  so  completely 
occupied  his  time  as  to  preclude  his  acceptance  of  the  position.  On  the  call 
from  the  chairman  the  meeting  reluctantly  accepted  Mr.  Wendell's  resigna- 
tion, and  the  vacancy  will  be  filled  by  the  Board  of  Officers. 

It  was  moved  and  seconded,  that  the  thanks  of  the  society  be  tendered 
to  Messrs.  Rand  Bros.,  for  their  courtesies. 

The  names  of  those  present,  among  whom  were  a  large  number  of 
ladies,  were  then  taken  by  Mr.  Laighton  and  recorded  by  the  Sec'y.  At 
10  o'clock,  P.  M.,  the  meeting  adjourned,  subject  to  the  action  of  the 
Board  of  Officers. 

The  reunion  was  a  great  pleasure  to  every  one  present,  and  the  enthusi- 


26 

asm  manifested  indicates  a  large  delegation  from  New  York  and  Brooklyn, 
next  summer.  Col.  E.  K.  Goodrich,  is  entitled  to  the  warmest  congratu- 
lations on  the  success  of  his  efforts. 

At  a  subsequent  meeting  of  the  Society  of  the  Sons  and  Daughters  of 
New  York,  an  Executive  Committee  was  chosen,  consisting  of  thirteen 
gentlemen  and  the  Board  of  Officers  ex  officio.  This  Committee  at  once 
effected  a  most  perfect  organization,  dividing  into  sub-cornmittees,  and 
allotting  the  various  duties  incident  to  the  well-doing  of  so  good  a  work. 
The  manner  in  which  the  work  was  done,  is  known  to  every  reader  of  this 
History,  and  to  all  present  in  our  city  during  those  memorable  days. 

The  following  elections  were  afterwards  held,  resulting  as  follows: 
JACOB  WENDELL,  ESQ.,  Chief  Marshal ;  SAMUEL  J.  NOWELL,  Treasurer, 
and  JOHN  L.  SALTER,  Secretary. 

The  journey  of  the  New-Yorkers,  upon  the  boat,  leaving  New  York  at 
4  P.  M.,  they  describe  as  being  a  long  evening  of  ecstasy.  An  assembling 
of  nearly  three  hundred  town's  people,  upon  such  a  pilgrimage  of  love,  with 
such  delightful  surroundings,  with  such  hopes  of  joyful  greetings,  must 
have  been  fraught  with  tender,  touching  recollections.  It  was  an  expe- 
rience rare  in  life,  and  will  ever  be  remembered  with  the  same  enthusiasm 
now  shown  by  each  of  them  when  narrating  its  thousand  incidents  of 
gladness  and  exhilaration.  After  three  hours  of  delicious  music  of  their 
Band,  during  which  were  played  the  new  arrangements,  by  Major  Down- 
ing of  "  Home  Again,"  and  "  Sweet  Home,"  a  meeting  of  the  Society  was 
called  by  Col.  E.  R.  Goodrich.  Mr.  Geo.  H.  Laighton  was  chosen  to  the 
chair,  and  brief  and  telling  speeches  were  made  by  Messrs.  Wendell, 
Peterson,  Babcock,  Goodrich  and  Nowell. 

The  Breaklast  at  the  U.  S.  Hotel  at  Boston,  on  the  morning  of  the  3rd, 
was  another  scene  of  hilarity  and  merriment.  President  A.  A.  Peterson 
and  other  kindred  spirits  were  boys  again,  giving  and  receiving  many  an 
old-time  thrust.  There  was  story  and  jest  at  each  of  the  tables,  and  there 
were  recalled  for  the  two  hours,  reminiscences  that  made  this  morning 
feast  one  of  the  most  enjoyable  of  the  many  festivities. 

In  connection  with  these  New  York  matters,  the  reader  will  pardon  us  if 
we  anticipate  a  little  and  give  place  to  the  following  letter,  as  indicative  of 
the  feeling  of  the  New  Yorkers  toward  the  projectors  of  the  Reunion  of  '73. 

New  York,  July  29,  1873. 
COL.  WM.  H.  SISE,  Portsmouth,  N.  H. 

DEAR  SIR  : — We  beg  of  you  to  receive  from  us,  at  this  our  first  meeting 
since  the  Reunion,  our  united  expression  of  thanks  for  your  official  and 
private  courtesies  during  those  happy  days. 

We  are  enabled  to  estimate  the  great  amount  of  work,  and  the  multitude 
of  details  requiring  the  attention  and  management  of  yourself,  and  your 
able  assistant,  Capt.  J.  Albert  Sanborn,  and  we  believe  from  your  first 
effort  in  the  projection  of  this  Reunion,  to  its  satisfactory  completion,  you 
have  added  a  large  skill,  and  heartiness  to  your  office,  and,  in  a  great 
measure,  contributed  to  the  surpassing  success  of  the  Festival. 

Please  accept,  Sir,  for  yourself,  and  tender  the  gentlemen  of  your  staff, 
the  assurance  of  our  sincere  esteem  and  regard, 

and  we  remain,  your  friends, 
E.  R.  GOODRICH,         JACOB  WENDELL, 
GEO.  J.  LAIGHTON,     SAMUEL  J.  NOWELL, 
H.  S.  LAMBERT,  EDWARD  BALL, 

Staff  of  the.  New  York  Delegation 

THE  NEW  YORK  DELEGATION 

Arrived  at  Frenchman's  Lane  by  special  train,  Thursday,  July  3rd,  at 
11.09,  A.  M.  The  military  organization  and  a  large  concourse  of  citizens  had 
been  'waiting  nearly  an  hour.  The  New  Yorkers  formed  in  the  line  and 


27 

under  the  marshalship  of  Jacob  Wendell,  Esq.,  marched  in  front  of  the 
military  drawn  up  to  receive  them,  and  halted.  Mayor  Marvin  then 
welcomed  them  in  a  speech  of  model  brevity,  speaking  as  follows  : — 

Sons  and  Daughters  of  Portsmouth  resident  in  New  York  and  its  vicinity: 
We  are  glad  to  see  that  the  home  ties  binding  you  to  old  Portsmouth  have 
drawn  you  hither  in  anticipation  of  the  great  event  of  to-morrow,  when 
all  the  wide-scattered  children  of  this  city  are  expected  to  assemble  here 
to  be  welcomed  home. 

I  congratulate  you  on  your  safe  arrival,  and  hope  that  your  fondest  an- 
ticipations of  pleasure  will  be  realized.  I 

In  behalf  of  the  people  of  whom  I  am  one,  and  for  whom  I  speak,  I 
tender  you  thanks  for  the  beautiful  tribute  of  filial  affection  with  which 
you  have  adorned  the  home  of  your  fathers.  The  triumphal  arches  which 
you  designed  and  caused  to  be  erected  in  Haymarket  Square,  will  live, 
ever  green,  in  our  memory. 

You  will  now  please  accept  a  floral  offering  of  welcome  at  the  hands  of 
this  fair  representative  of  Portsmouth  youth  and  beauty. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  Mayor's  address,  Miss  Norah  Bartlett,  daugh- 
ter of  James  P.  Bartlett,  Esq.,  presented  Marshal  Wendell  with  an  elegant 
bouquet  of  flowers,  amid  the  cheers  of  the  spectators.  Mr.  Wendell  re- 
sponded to  the  welcome  and  the  gift  most  happily,  as  follows  : 

Mr.  Mayor,  and  Gentlemen  and  Ladies  : 

In  behalf  of  the  delegation  of  Sons  and  Daughters  of  Portsmouth,  resid- 
ing in  New  York  and  Brooklyn,  and  those  who  accompany  us,  I  thank 
you  for  the  kind  expressions  with  which  you  have  been  pleased  to  extend 
to  us  the  hospitalities  of  your  city.  'Tis  many  years  since  some  of  us  left 
Portsmouth,  and  you  will  hardly  recognize  any  of  us  as  the  children  who 
played  in  your  streets,  attended  your  schools  and  churches,  and  learned 
here  the  first  rudiments  of  home  education  and  knowledge  with  which  to 
fight  the  battle  of  life  in  other  places.  But  I  think  I  can  say  lor  one  and 
all,  that  though  years  have  passed — though  we  shall  miss  the  kind  greet- 
ings of  many  who  were  wont  to  meet  us  years  ago — though  those  who 
gave  us  their  blessing  and  bade  us  God  speed  when  we  left  the  parental 
roof,  have  passed  away — we  still  feel  that  we  have  come  home. 

It  was  my  privilege,  on  the  return  of  the  Sons  in  1853,  to  be  one  of 
those  who  then  hailed  from  Boston,  and  well  do  I  remember  the  pleasant 
occasion.  Little  did  we  then  realize  the  changes  which  in  twenty  years 
would  take  place.  Children  have  become  men  and  women,  and  now  to 
assume  the  full  responsibilities  of  life  ;  those  of  middle  life  have  come  to 
full  maturity  ;  many  are  gone.  But  with  those  of  us  who  remain,  and 
who  were  present  on  that  occasion,  and  with  all  of  us  now  present,  the 
familiar  name  of  Portsmouth  is  dear,  the  affection  for  the  homes  of  child- 
hood still  burns  brightly. 

We  thank  you,  sir,  lor  the  opportunity  you  have  given  us,  of  once  more 
meeting  together  in  our  native  place.  We  come,  or  many  of  us  come, 
from  the  larger  cities,  where  it  is  hard  to  keep  up  the  close  friendships  of 
early  years  ;  but  on  this  occasion,  we  all  join  as  one,  and  renew  together, 
by  your  invitation,  the  pleasures  of  our  boyhood  days. 

Receive  us  as  Sons  and  Daughters  of  Portsmouth ;  and  though  to  some 
of  us  there  comes  a  sadness  that  our  Fathers  and  Mothers  are  not  here  to 
greet  us  now,  your  city  contains  their  ashes,  and  their  memories  are 
closely  identified  in  our  hearts  with  the  name  of  Portsmouth.  We  gladly 
accept  your  kind  greeting,  and  when  on  the  morrow  the  Sons  and  Daugh- 
ters of  Portsmouth  resident  in  other  places  shall  crowd  your  streets  and 
receive  your  kindness,  you  will  I  trust  find  none  will  do  themselves  more 
credit  and  prove  more  loyal  to  the  home  of  their  childhood,  than  the  del- 
egation which  I  have  the  honor  to  represent  on  this  occasion.  Again,  sir, 
I  thank  you. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  reception  ceremonies  the  procession  resumed  its 


28 

march  down  Islington  street,  Downing's  magnificent  band  playing  "Home 
Again"  in  a  manner  that  thrilled  the  hearts  of  all  who  heard  it.  Arriv- 
ing at  the  residence  of  Ex-Gov.  Goodwin,  chairman  of  the  citizen's  com- 
mittee, the  procession  halted  and  the  baton  of  Downing  brought  out  "Hail 
to  the  Chief."  The  Governor  responded  feelingly  to  the  compliment  ten- 
dered him  and  bade  the  visitors  welcome.  The  march  was  then  resumed 
through  Islington,  Congress,  Pleasant  and  State  streets  to  the  Rocking- 
ham  House,  the  headquarters  of  the  delegation,  after  which  the  procession 
marched  to  Pleasant  street  and  was  dismissed. 

The  out  door  promenade  concert  at  seven  o'clock  on  Thursday  evening, 
on  "Manhattan  Park,"  nee  Haymarket  Square,  drew  like  a  powerful  mag- 
net— the  attraction  being  one  of  the  finest  bands  in  the  United  States,  for 
Burely  genial  Downing  with  his  talented  assistants  are  "moulded  of  mel- 
ody," as  we  heard  one  enthusiastic  listener  say.  For  over  two  hours  that 
immense  concourse  forgot  all  about  being  tired,  as  they  listened  to  the 
"Silver  Trumpets"  playing  the  Grand  March  which  even  Viviani  himself 
might  not  recognize,  so  exquisitely  had  Downing  put  the  finished  and  fin- 
ishing touches  ;  then  the  "Blue  Danube"  of  Strauss  reminded  us  of  the  way 
the  French  Band  performed  that  same  at  the  Peace  Jubilee ;  and  when 
Downing  took  his  audience  with  him  Le  Voyage  en  Chemin  de  Fer,  it  was 
the  culmination.  Surely,  such  a  musical  feast  must  needs  be  rare  in  old 
Portsmouth. 

Following  close  on  the  Oat  Door  Concert  came  the  reception  to  our  citi- 
zens, given  by  the  Sons  and  Daughters  from  New  York  in  the  elegant  par- 
lors of  the  Rockingham  House  :  and  notwithstanding  the  special  request 
of  the  committee  to  the  contrary  full  dresses  and  swallow-tailed  coats  pre- 
dominated. Crowds  congregated  in  the  parlors  and  saloons,  to  see  and  be 
seen  ;  all  stiffness  and  formality  were  done  away  with,  and  general  cordi- 
ality and  freedom  were  distinguishing  features.  Relatives  and  friends 
long  separated  here  met  to  revive  old  scenes, — tottering  age  and  sparkling 
youth,  some  bearing  laurels  that  a  world  has  given,  others  with  hopes  yet 
untried,  but  all  animated  with  the  one  thought, — a  happy,  happy  greeting 
to  all. 

Those  accustomed  to  metropolitan  magnificence,  were  free  to  confess  that 
as  a  whole,  this  closing  feature  of  the  first  festal  day  was  very  successful 
in  the  display  of  beauty,  the  richness  of  the  dresses,  and  the  freedom  from 
any  signs  of  stiffness. 

THE  MEMORABLE  DAY. 

The  following  morning,  July  4th,  was  signalized  by  the  usual  demon- 
strations of  the  juveniles,  through  guns,  pistols  and  fire  crackers,  which 
always  serve  to  awaken  fretful  infants  and  disgust  parents  ;  but  as  the  cus- 
tom is  so  thoroughly  interwoven  with  the  history  of  the  day,  we  cannot 
hope  for  its  total  abandonment  for  years  to  come. 

The  more  welcome  sounds  of  the  ringing  bells  and  booming  cannons 
aroused  those  who  had  slept  through  the  pistol  firing  and  told  them  that 
the  sun  was  rising  to  usher  in  a  glad  and  festal  occasion — the  entertain- 
ment of  our  children. 

The  day  was  exceedingly  hot,  yet  the  streets  of  Portsmouth  were  literally 
swarming  with  humanity  of  all  ages  from  the  gray-haired  sire  to  the  tod- 
dling infant,  all  seemingly  filled  with  the  spirit  of  the  occasion.  It  is  esti- 
mated that  upwards  of  25,000  people  visited  Portsmouth  on  the  Fourth, 
which,  although  a  large  number,  is  probably  not  exaggerated. 

Col.  Wm.  H.  Sise  with  his  chief  of  Staff,  Capt.  J.  Albert  Sanborn,  and 
the  Asst.  Marshals  and  Aides  formed  the  procession  promptly  at  nine 
o'clock  and  marched  to  Frenchman's  Lane  to  receive  the  Boston  Sons  and 
Daughters,  who  arrived  about  ten  o'clock. 

The  delegation  marched  out  of  the  Lane,  past  the  firemen  and  military 
drawn  up  in  line  on  Islington  street,  to  a  spot  opposite  the  late  residence 


29 

of  True  M.  Ball,  Esq.',  wnere  the  official  reception  took  place.  Mayor 
Marvin,  who  was  accompanied  by  the  officers  of  the  city  government,  and 
other  prominent  citizens,  stepped  forward  and  spoke  as  follows  : — 

Sons  and  Daughters  of  Portsmouth  : — In  the  name  of  your  native  city  I 
extend  to  you,  one  and  all,  a  hearty  welcome  home.  This  is  our  second 
grand  family  reunion,  and  I  trust  there  are  many  present  who  remember 
the  glorious  time  they  had  twenty  years  ago.  To  this  number  a  host  of 
younger  faces  have  been  added,  and  our  only  desire  is  that  this  visit  may 
be  as  happy  and  as  long  to  be  remembered  as  the  first.  You  have  re- 
sponded to  our  invitation  and  are  now  gathered  here  on  the  threshold  of 
the  old  homestead.  You  will  have  no  need  to  look  for  the  latch-string. 
The  doors  are  all  wide  open.  You  have  come  from  neighboring  towns  and 
sister  cities  ;  from  homes  in  distant  though  kindred  States,  and  from  far-off 
lands  beyond  the  great  oceans.  Old  Portsmouth  greets  her  returning  sons 
and  daughters  as  a  proud  and  happy  mother  welcomes  her  long-absent 
children,  with  open  arms  and  joyful  demonstrations.  This  is  her  250th 
anniversary.  She  is  a  venerable  mother,  you  see,  but  she  holds  her  own 
remarkably  well  and  never  forgets  her  "auld  acquaintance."  She  remem- 
bers just  how  many  of  her  boys  and  girls  hail  from  the  great  West ;  how 
many  from  the  sunny  South  ;  how  many  roam  the  uneven  seas,  and  sadly 
she  remembers  how  few  stay  at  home.  But  she  is  proud  to  know  how 
much  of  the  success  and  enterprise  that  fill  the  West  are  due  to  the  brave 
pioneering  of  the  Portsmouth  boys,  and  that  all  over  the  country  there 
are  men  and  women  worthy  of  their  nativity.  To-day  we  have  another 
and  still  greater  cause  for  rejoicing  ;  it  is  the  97th  anniversary  of  our  na- 
tion's liberty.  I  need  not  say  how  dear  it  is  to  the  heart  of  every  Ameri- 
can citizen.  There  is  but  one  psean  running  along  the  wires  of  our  en- 
tire civilization,  "God  bless  our  native  land."  Again,  I  bid  you  a  cordial 
welcome  to  old  Strawberry  Bank  and  proffer  you  escort  through  her  shady 
paths  to  where  the  great  tent  is  ready  to  shelter  you  from  the  heat,  and 
loving  friends  are  waiting  to  receive  you.  And,  Mr.  Marshal,  as  the  rep- 
resentative of  the  sons  and  daughters  of  Portsmouth,  invested  by  them 
with  authority,  I  invest  you  with  this  gold  ring  in  recognition  of  the  au- 
thority which  they  have  entrusted  to  you  ;  and  with  great  pleasure  as  the 
representative  of  Portsmouth,  I  now  place  it  upon  your  finger. 

So  saying,  he  placed  the  ring  on  the  finger  of  Marshal  Stevens,  who  re- 
plied in  an  appropriate  manner.  Tbe  inscription  on  the  ring  is  as  follows 
"Portsmouth  to  her  Sons  and  Daughters,  July  4,  1873." 

Marshal  Stevens  replied  as  follows  : 

Mr.  Mayor  and  Gentlemen : 

In  behalf  of  the  returning  sons  of  Portsmouth,  I  thank  you,  most  sin- 
cerely, for  the  very  hearty  welcome  you  have  given  us.  This  affectionate 
greeting  of  old  Portsmouth,  to  her  wandering  children,  finds  a  ready  re- 
sponse in  every  heart.  Wherever  your  generous  invitation  has  reached 
the  absent  ones,  o'er  land  or  sea,  they  have  instinctively  answered  "we'll 
come."  And  come  we  have,  bringing  with  us  our  sons  and  our  sons'  sons, 
yes,  our  wives  and  our  daughters  also. 

Of  those  who  came  hither  twenty  years  ago,  some  will  return  no  more, 
hut  a  kind  Providence  has  spared  many  to  share  in  the  pleasures  of 
tbis»second  reunion.  Some  of  us  will  clasp  again  the  hand  of  an  honored 
father,  and  receive  a  loving  mother's  embrace,  while  others  will  miss  the 
loved  and  the  honored  ones,  who  have  long  since  gone  to  their  rest,  and 
the  faces  of  strangers  will  greet  them  in  the  old  homestead.  But  your 
kind  words  assure  us  that  all  hearts,  and  all  homes,  will  be  open  to  us,  and 
that  we  shall  be  everywhere  welcome.  We  shall  be,  indeed,  one  family 
to-day. 

Some  have  feared  that  the  delightful  scenes  of  our  former  reunion  could 
never  again  be  produced  ;  but  they  little  knew  the  resources  of  old  Straw- 
berry Bank  or  the -generosity  of  her  resident  Sons.  /  Our  mother  town  did 


'30 

nobly  then  ;  we  are  confident  that  she  will,  to-day,  add  fresh  laurels  to  her 
brow.  Those  who  enjoyed  your  hospitality  on  the  former  occasion,  have 
ever  since  been  longing  to  come  again  ;  and  the  younger  sons,  having  lis- 
tened to  the  oft-told  tale,  are  filled  with  joyful  anticipations  of  this  day. 
But  we  feel  assured  that  the  expectations  of  all  will  be  fully  realized. 

We  have  come,  sir,  at  your  bidding,  to  spend  this  anniversary  as  your 
guests ;  and  while  we  shall  rejoice  in  all  the  evidences  of  your  material 
prosperity,  our  hearts  will  be  chiefly  gladdened  by  a  sight  of  the  familiar 
haunts  of  our  youthful  days.  We  long  to  walk  again  through  the  dear 
old  streets,  and  to  listen  once  more  to  the  music  of  the  bells  that  roused  us 
from  our  morning  slumbers  years  ago.  We  long  to  take  the  hands  of 
those  we  knew  in  school-boy  days,  those  who  used  to  help  us  celebrate  be- 
fore the  cares  of  life  weighed  heavily  upon  us.  We  rejoice,  in  fact,  to  lay 
life's  burdens  down  for  a  day,  and,  in  spirit  at  least,  to  be  boys  again. 
And  we  expect,  having  refreshed  our  hearts  and  minds  with  the  scenes  and 
the  memories  of  olden  times,  to  return  to  our  duties  on  the  morrow,  better 
men  and  better  citizens. 

Again  we  thank  you  for  your  generous  invitation  and  royal  welcome 
home.  We  have  come,  sir.  with  music  and  banners  ;  but  music  and  ban- 
ners can  but  faintly  symbolize  the  joy  in  our  hearts.  No  other  place  on 
earth  can  ever  be  the  same  to  us  as  this  sacred  spot  with  all  its  hallowed 
associations.  We  have  turned  our  steps  hitherward  to-day  with  feelings 
of  pride  and  pleasure,  with  a  kindly  remembrance  of  the  scenes  of  former 
years,  and  with  a  deep  sense  of  our  indebtedness  to  them  for  success  in 
life. 

Among  our  number  are  those  who,  since  leaving  here,  have  acquired 
fame  and  fortune,  and  have  made  a  name,  not  only  for  themselves,  but  for 
their  town,  in  the  old  world  and  the  new;  others  there  are,  less  widely 
known  but  not  less  worthy,  whose  honest,  upright,  useful  lives  have  shed 
equal  honor  on  the  place  of  their  birth  ;  and  there  are  others  still,  a  noble 
band,  who  are  just  setting  out  in  the  battle  of  life ;  but  there  is  in  the 
hearts  of  all  an  equally  strong  attachment  to  our  mother  town.  And 
Bure  I  am  sir,  that  all,  both  old  and  young,  will  join  most  heartily  with 
me  in  this  sentiment :  God  bless  old  Portsmouth  !  God  bless  our  native 
home ! 

At  Union  street  the  industrial  procession  joined  and  the  line  of  march 
was  taken  up  in  the  following  order  :-•- 

FIRST  DIVISION. 
Platoon  of  Police. 

Col.  Wm.  H.  Sise,  Chief  Marshal. 

J.  Albert  Sanborn,  Chief  of  Staff. 

Headquarters  Staff. 

A.  W.  Odiorne,  Quartermaster. 

Oliver  S.  Loomis,  Asst.  Quartermaster.  • 

Chas.  A.  Hazlett,  Robert  B.  Palfrey,  Chas.  H.  Hayes,  Samuel  Dodge, 
Floron  Barri,  Aides. 

Marshal  of  1st  Div.,  Elbridge  G.  Pierce,  Jr. 

Aides — H.  H.  Ham,  Jr.,  Plumer  D.  Norton,  Horace  W.  Moses,  Dr.  fbho. 
S.  Perry. 

U.  S.  Naval  Band. 

Drum  Corps. 

Battalion  of  U.  S.  Marines,  Major  Philip  R.  Fendall,  Com'dg. 

First  Company — Captain  W.  E.  Fagan. 

Second  Company — Lieutenant  David  Whipple. 

Drum  Corps. 

Portsmouth  Guards,  Maj.  Daniel  J.  Vaughan,  Com'dg. 

Independent  Battalion,  Maj.  E.  A.  Tilton,  Com'dg. 


31 

First  Company — Capt.  Thomas  Tredick. 
Second  Company — Capt.  John  Ritchie. 
Continentals,  Capt.  Justin  French,  Com'dg. 
Band. 

It  is  due  to  the  military  to  say  that  they  made  a  very  fine  appearance 
and  contributed  in  no  small  degree  to  the  splendor  of  the  procession. 

Damon  Lodge  Knights  of  Pythias,  Wm.  0.  Sides,  District  Deputy 
Chancellor  Commander,  Wm.  S.  Norton,  Chancellor  Commanding. 

This  was  the  first  public  appearance  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and 
much  credit  is  due  them  for  the  order  they  maintained  as  well  as  for  their 
generally  fine  appearance. 

Dover  Cornet  Band. 

Chief  Engineer  Portsmouth  Fire  Department. 

Board  of  Engineers 

Steam  Fire  Engine  Dearborn  No.  1,  21  men,  J.  Frank  Shannon,  Fore- 
man. 

Steam  Fire  Engine  Sagamore  No.  2,  21  men,  Willard  Sears,  Foreman. 

Steam  Fire  Engine  Kearsarge  No.  3,  21  men,  Ira  C.  Seymour,  Foreman. 

Governor  Langdon  Fire  Extinguisher  Company,  No.  5,  Edwin  H.  Les- 
lie, Foreman. 

Davy  Crockett  Engine  Co.  No.  4,  21  Lads,  William  E.  Tucker,  Fore- 
man. 

Odlin's  Cornet  Band. 

Laconia  Fire  Co.,  Torrent  No.  1,  40  men. 

Fisherville  Fire  Co.,  Torrent  No.  2,  40  men. 

Our  space  forbids  a  description  of  the  Fire  Department  in  detail.  Suf- 
fice it  to  remark  that  they  formed  a  pleasant  and  an  important  feature  of 
the  procession. 

Carriages  conveying  Governor  E.  A.  Straw,  Mayor  T.  E.  0.  Marvin  of 
Portsmouth,  Capt  J.  S.  Thornton,  of  the  Navy,  Col.  Murphy,  Col.  Ripley, 
Col.  Quimby,  Col.  Danforth  of  the  governor's  staff,  Adjutant-General 
Hayes,  J.  J.  Morrill,  Wm.  P.  Newell,  S.  P.  Dow,  of  the  governor's  coun- 
cil, Rev.  James  DeNormandie,  chaplain  of  the  day,  Albert  Laighton,  poet 
of  the  day,  Col.  Hackett  of  the  governor's  staff,  Charles  H.  Horton,  mayor 
of  Dover,  N.  H.,  Hon.  Daniel  Marcy,  Hon.  Wm.  Simes,  Hon.  Frank  Jones, 
Albert  R.  Hatch,  Esq.,  ex -Mayor  Morrison,  ex-Mayor  John  H.  Bailey,  ex- 
Mayor  Jonathan  Dearborn,  High  Sheriff  Odlin,  deputies  James  C.  Brown, 
Joseph  P.  Morse,  the  City  Council  of  Portsmouth  and  members  of  the  press. 

SECOND  DIVISION. 

Thomas  S.  Nowell,  Marshal. 
Aides,  John  Laighton,  Clarence  0.  Walker. 
Gilmore's  Band. 

Aide — Ezra  A.  Stevens.  Marshal  of  Delegation. — Aide — Ex-Chief  Mar- 
shal, President,  Ex-President,  Vice  Presidents  and  other  officers. 
1st.  Div.     "Sons  of  Portsmouth"  residing  in  Boston.     Aide — Col.  John  H. 
Jackson,  Marshal. — Aide. — Brown's  Brigade  Band. 

2d  Div.  "Sons  of  Portsmouth"  residing  in  Boston  "Grandsons  of  Ports- 
mouth" residing  in  Boston.  Aide — Woodward  Emery,  Marshal. — Aide. 
Delegation  of  "Sons  of  Portsmouth"  from  all  parts  of  New  England. 

THIRD  DIVISION. 

Christopher  C.  Jackson,  Marshal.     Aide. 

Aides,  J.  D.  Akerman,  Chas.  C.  Akerman.  Downing's  9th  N.  Y.  Regi- 
ment Band. 

"Sons  of  Portsmouth"  residing  in  New  York,  Jacob  Wendell,  Marshal. 
Aides— Edward  Ball,  S.  J.  Nowell ;  Col.  E.  R.  Goodrich,  first  Asst.  Mar- 


32 

shal,  Geo.  J.  Laighton,  second  Asst.  Marshal,  Henry  S.  Lambert,  third 
Asst.  Marshal. 

"Sons  of  Portsmouth"  residing  in  Washington,  and  all  points  South 
and  West  of  New  York  ;  Frank  W.  Hackett,  Marshal. 

FOURTH  DIVISION. 

E.  D.  Coffin  and  M.  T.  Betton,  Marshals. — Aides,  James  A.  Rand,  Levi 
W.  Marden.     Seabrook  Brass  Band. 
[This  was  the  Industrial  Division  and  was  made  up  as  follows  :] 

Old  press   used  by  Daniel  Fowle,  the  first  printer  in  New  Hampshire. 

Modern  Montague  cylinder  press,  used  for  printing  the  New  Hampshire 
Gazette. 

Ancient  Stage  Coaches,  driven  by  Dan  Jellison  and  Milo  Smith. 

A  "one  horse  shay" — a  novel  relic  of  antiquity,  driven  by  Charles  Wen- 
dell. 

Ship  "Independence,"  Capt.  A.  K.  P.  Deering. 

Marble  and  Granite  Works,  Silas  Philbrick  &  Co.,  Boiler  Makers,  Gerry 
H.  Rheutan.  Paint  Shop,  Edward  D.  Coffin.  Mason  &  Stucco  Workers, 
Fraser  &  Co.  Marble  and  Granite  Works,  John  S.  Treat.  Stove  and  Tin 
Ware,  Uriah  Blaisdell.  Barber's  Shop,  J.  F.  Leverton. 

Boat  Car,  with  Grecian  Maidens,  an  Allegorical  representation  of  Music 
cheering  the  Industrials  pursuits,  under  the  direction  of  Prof.  Thomas  P. 
Moses.  Dry  Goods,  Hartley  W.  Mason.  Sewing  Machines,  Charles  S. 
Dodge.  Dry  Goods,  Geo.  B.  French.  Express,  Jackson  &  Akerman. 
Kearsarge  Mills.  Express,  Frye  &  Co.  Furniture,  Sheldon  Bros.  Agri- 
cultural Store,  Woodbury  Seavey  &  Co.  Sewing  Machines,  J.  J.  Fessen- 
den. 

The  industrial  portion  of  the  procession,  was  the  result  of  the  active 
labors  of  Mr.  E.  D.  Coffin,  and  formed  too  important  a  feature  to  be  passed 
without  a  brief  description. 

Of  the  many  elaborately  trimmed  and  ornamental  teams  that  carried  the 
representative  of  industry  and  trade,  one  that  attracted  the  attention  of 
all  observers  who  had  eyes  and  ears  open,  was  the  boiler-makers  on  a  car 
from  the  navy  yard,  under  the  charge  of  Mr.  G.  H.  Rheutan.  The  din  and 
clatter  made  by  the  workmen  as  the  car  passed,  also  drowned  the  sound  of 
the  music  of  the  band.  There  was  the  man  at  the  forge  and  the  men  at 
work  riveting  a  boiler  just  as  they  would  have  done  had  they  been  at  work 
in  the  shop. 

The  car  that  bore  a  full-rigged  ship,  the  Independence,  commanded  by 
Captain  A.  K.  P.  Deering,  attracted  the  attention  of  everybody.  It  was  a 
novel  sight  for  the  street.  The  ship  was  under  full  sail  and  fully  manned, 
just  as  though  riding  the  waters  instead  of  being  drawn  by  oxen  through 
the  crowded  streets  of  a  city.  Men  heaved  the  lead,  worked  the  pumps, 
and  raised  and  lowered  the  sails,  while  the  captain  gave  his  orders  like  a 
true  son  of  the  sea. 

Then  came  a  car  filled  with  masons  and  stucco  workers,  furnished  by 
Messers.  Fraser  &  Co.  The  masons  were  laying  brick  and  all  the  men 
were  working  away  with  as  much  assiduity  as  though  they  were  actually 
engaged  at  their  usual  labor. 

A  car  furnished  by  the  Kearsarge  Mills,  Robert  B.  Adams,  agent,  carried 
a  loom  at  which  a  weaver  was  at  work  as  though  in  the  mill.  The  weaver 
made  three  yards  of  excellent  cloth  while  the  procession  was  moving,  and 
pieces  of  it  were  in  great  demand  among  the  friends  of  the  agent. 

Among  the  most  elaborately  trimmed  of  the  cars  was  that  of  Mr.  H.  W. 
Mason,  the  well-known  dry  goods  merchant.  It  contained  a  large  stock  of 
valuable  goods  that  were  well  displayed  by  the  young  ladies  aijd  gentle- 
men who  stood  behind  the  counters  as  though  serving  customers. 

Another  beautifully  decorated  car  was  that  filled  with  goods  from  the 
linen  department  of  the  dry  goods  stores  of  George  B.  French  at  No.  15 


33 

and  No.  27  Market  street.  There  was  a  fine  display  of  rich  fabrics  and  a 
number  of  his  clerks  rode  in  the  car,  handling  the  goods  as  though  custom- 
ers were  making  purchases. 

A  car  occupied  with  handsome  furniture  from  the  store  of  Sheldon 
Brothers  on  State  street  made  a  creditable  appearance.  Then  there  was 
another  filled  with  musical  instruments  from  the  store  of  Mr.  D.  H.  Mont- 
gomery, and  a  sewing  machine  wagon  by  Mr.  Charles  S.  Dodge.  The 
marble  and  granite  works  of  John  S.  Treat  and  Silas  Philbrick  were  well 
represented  and  made  a  good  display. 

The  stove  and  tin  ware  business  was  well  represented  by  Mr.  Uriah 
Blaisdell.  Mr.  John  S.  Tilton  made  a  good  show  from  his  harness  shop, 
and  Messrs.  Jackson  &  Co.  sent  an  express  wagon.  Messrs.  Frye  &  Co., 
also  had  an  express  wagon  in  the  procession. 

The  most  beautiful  and  attractive  car  of  all  that  made  up  the  procession 
was  the  boat  decorated  by  Mr.  Thomas  P.  Moses.  It  was  elegantly  trim- 
med with  green,  gold  and  white,  with  appropriate  mottoes.  In  the  in- 
terior was  a  large  golden  harp  and  tinsel  flower  vases,  with  birds,  flowers, 
arches,  banners,  etc.,  etc.  Seated  among  all  this  splendor  were  young  ladies 
dressed  to  represent  Grecian  maidens.  They  wore  pink  and  white  with 
beautiful  crown -caps  and  long  white  plumes. 

A  great  curiosity  in  the  department  of  printing  was  the  old  wood  and 
stone  printing  press  on  which  the  first  N.  H.  Gazette  was  printed  in  1756, 
and  which  is  marked  "  T.  D.  1742," —  (Thomas  Draper,  of  Boston.)  The 
press  is  now  owned  by  Mr.  Frank  W.  Miller  of  this  city. 

Also  an  old  chaise  probably  built  as  early  as  1730,  in  London,  and  im- 
ported by  the  British  Consul  here  before  the  Revolution.  The  wheels  are 
about  five  feet  diameter,  and  the  tires  in  sections,  like  ox-cart  wheels ;  but 
strangely  enou  h,  the  axle  is  iron.  There  is  a  seat  for  a  driver  perched  on 
the  dasher,  and  a  strap  across  between  the  shafts  for  resting  his  feet.  The 
back  and  sides  fold  and  fall  back,  leaving  the  top  standing.  This  carriage 
was  formerly  owned  by  the  late  Col.  William  Gardner,  and  is  a  very  inter- 
esting relic  of  old  time  gentility.  It  is  in  good  preservation,  is  owned  by 
Mr.  John  S.  Wendell,  and  probably  cannot  be  duplicated  in  this  country, 
if  in  the  world. 

MOTTOES. 

The  Boston  delegation  had  about  a  score  of  mottoes  on  banners  and  were 
deserving  of  special  mention.  The  following  is  a  list  of  them : 

Sons  of  Portsmouth.     Reverse — the  same. 

We  went  out  from  you  one  by  one.  Reverse — "  We  return,  an  army 
with  banners,"  (a  quotation  from  the  speech  of  F.  E.  Parker  at  the  reunion 
of  1853. 

The  Sons.  Granite  and  ice  grow  hard  grit.  Reverse — The  daughters. 
The  sweetest  arbutus  is  nursed  by  the  snow  bank. 

All  hail  our  mother  city.     Reverse — The  home  of  our  hearts. 

"  Absence  has  made  the  old  home  dearer."  [Danbury  News.  Reverse 
— "Stronger  in  our  affections  for  it,  firmer  in  our  faith  in  it."  [Dan- 
bury  News. 

Picture  of  the  Old  South  Church,  with  the  steamer  Kearsarge  playing  on 
the  Boston  Transcript  building.  Reverse — Boston  Old  South  saved  by 
Portsmouth  "  Haymakers."  (An  allusion  to  a,  nickname  gained  by  the 
Kearsarge  company  at  the  Bo>ton  fire  of  November  9  and  10  ) 

Picture  of  a  ship  under  full  sail.  "  Homeward  bound."  Reverse — 
"  My  anchor  falls  where  first  rny  pennons  flew." 

Boston  claims  your  first  son.  David  Thom(p)son  settled  Portsmouth 
1623.  Reverse — Emigrated  to  Thom(p)son's  Island,  Boston  Harbor,  1624. 

Cluster  of  strawberries.  Motto — Best  of  all  the  berries.  Reverse — 
Mason  and  George's  Seedling,  very  prolific;  bears  transplanting,  and  needs 


34 

Picture  of  a  fire  place  from  old  Warner  Mansion.  Reverse — It  is  time 
to  punch  the  back-log  and  put  on  a  new  forestick. 

"  Home  again."  "  Home,  Sweet  Home."  Reverse — "  When  Johnny 
comes  marching  home.1' 

Strawberry  bank.  Return  issues  always  honored.  Reverse — Picture  of 
clasped  hands.  Motto,  Two  fives  better  than  five-twenties. 

New  Hampshire  granite  our  foundation.  Reverse — Massachusetts 
completes  the  structure  of  our  manhood. 

Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother.  Reverse — The  glory  of  children  are 
their  fathers. 

The  topography  of  today.  Trimount  and  the  seven  hills.  Reverse — 
picture  of  a  phantom  horse  in  a  cloud,  in  the  left-hand  corner,  and  of  a 
wheel  in  the  right-hand  corner.  Legend — The  hub  wheeling  into  line. 

Seals  of  Massachusetts ;  Boston,  New  Hampshire  and  Portsmouth. 
Reverse — Native  of  one,  adopted  of  the  other,  proud  of  both, 

A  few  bad  boys  coming  back  to  Rivermouth.  Reverse — The  Centipede 
Club  grown  a  little  (borne  in  the  ranks  of  the  grandsons.) 

'53  and  '73.     Reverse — Times  to  try  men's  soles. 

The  rising  sons.  Picture  of  the  sun  rising  out  of  the  ocean.  Reverse — 
May  their  shadows  never  be  less. 

The  procession  was  over  a  mile  in  length,  and  was  so  varied  in  character 
that  it  was  one  superb  picture  from  beginning  to  end.  Military  in  new 
and  elegant  uniforms  and  flashing  arms  and  equipments  ;  firemen  in  their 
red  shirts  and  beautifully  decked  engines  ;  the  prancing  steeds,  drawing 
open  barouches ;  the  twenty-five  heavy  decorated  teams  representing  as 
many  different  occupations ;  the  guests  with  their  adorned  banners  and 
fluttering  badges — an  !  it  was  inspiring,  and  no  wonder  the  thousands  of 
spectators  could  not  express  their  joy  and  surprise,  but  make  the  welkin 
ring  in  paeans.  The  numerous  and  beautiful  decorations  along  the  route 
enhanced  the  scene — in  fact  everywhere  masses  of  bunting,  evergreen  and 
flowers  and  mottoes  were  displayed  in  profusion  to  remind  one  of  the  early 
fete  days.  Who  can  ever  forget  that  moving  panorama?  We  had  all 
thought  the  grand  parade  in  '53  could  not  be  excelled,  but  the  memorable 
parade  of  '73  will  be  recalled  with  a  pride  and  satisfaction  such  as  only 
those  who  were  spectators  of  this  scene  can  feel.  When  the  procession 
reached  the  Academy,  it  halted  with  Gilmore's  band  fronting  that 
ancient  institution  of  learning.  As  the  band  continued  playii^g,  a 
scene  ensued  which  thrilled  every  heart  and  stirred  the  emotions  of  every 
one  in  the  procession.  The  young  ladies  of  the  public  schools,  number- 
ing four  hundred,  being  seated  on  elevated  seats,  dressed  in  white  and 
wearing  silk  sashes,  had  been  provided  with  numerous  bouquets,  which 
they  flung  to  the  returning  Sons,  scores  of  them  floating  through  the  air 
at  a  time.  The  music  of  the  band  seemed  to  set  the  children  in  a  fever  of 
delighted  excitement,  and  with  one  accord  their  handkerchiefs  kept  time 
with  the  band-master's  baton.  As  the  various  delegations  passed  the  Acad- 
emy, each  halted  and  gave  the  young  ladies  cheer  upon  cheer,  the  schol- 
ars responding  with  songs.  It  was  a  rare  sight,  touching  and  inspiring, 
and  thanks  are  especially  due  to  Messrs.  A.  M.  Payson  and  Charles  E. 
Buzzell,  by  whose  efforts  the  scholars  were  induced  to  take  part. 

The  procession  passed  down  Islington  and  Congress  streets,  through 
Market,  Deer,  Vaughan,  Congress  and  Pleasant  streets,  over  Brown's  hill 
and  through  Water,  State,  Cabot,  Middle,  Court,  Pleasant,  State  and  Mid- 
dle streets  to  the  tent  on  Wibird's  Hill  where  3500  plates  were  laid  for  the 
honored  guests.  The  exterior  of  the  pavillion  looked  grand,  decked  as  it 
was  over  its  whole  length  of  300  feet,  with  streamers  and  banners  of  every 
color.  At  the  entrance  to  the  field  and  tent  were  arches.  That  at  the 
field  entrance  was  of  flowers  and  evergreen,  very  tastefully  designed  and 
arranged.  The  other  however,  was  much  more  elaborate.  It  was  of  the 
Roman  design,  surmounted  with  garlands  and  wreaths,  the  American 


35 

shield  forming  the  central  figure,  while  on  the  front  was  the  word  "  wel- 
come" twined  in  flowers.  At  the  top  of  each  column  were  large  masses  of 
flowers.  The  central  arch  was  surmounted  by  the  United  States  coat  of 
arms.  On  either  side  were  tall  flag-staffs  from  which  were  flying  about  a 
hundred  feet  of  flags  forming  another  arch.  The  interior  was  entirely 
lined  with  flags  of  all  nations,  caught  at  the  top  and  draped  to  the  sides, 
completely  hiding  the  canvas.  Intertwined  was  bunting  of  all  colors, 
the  whole  forming  two  beautiful  canopies.  Around  the  sides  of  the  tent 
were  mottoes  and  shields  and  heraldic  designs.  The  main  motto  at  the 
head  of  the  tent  was  the  words,  in  scroll  letters,  two  and  a  half  feet  long, 
"  Welcome  sons  ;  welcome  daughters." 

The  dinner,  which  consisted  of  a  substantial  collation  of  cold  meats, 
bread,  pastry  and  cake,  with  cold  water  and  lemonade,  was  partaken  of 
about  half  past  one,  after  which  followed  the  literary  exercises,  the  fol- 
lowing gentlemen  acting  as  Vice  Presidents:  Hon.  Ichabod  Goodwin, 
Lewis  W.  Brewster,  Edward  D.  Coffin,  John  L.  Elwyn,  Albert  A.  Fer- 
nald,  Joseph  H.  Foster,  John  S.  H.  Frink,  Moses  H.  Goodrich,  Hon.  W. 
H.  Y.  Hackett,  Josiah  G.  Hadley,  Albert  R.  Hatch,  Geo.  W.  Haven,  John 
R.  Holbrook,  C.  C.  Jackson,  Hon.  Frank  Jones,  Alex.  H.  Ladd,  Hon.  D. 
Marcy,  A  W.  Haven,  Charles  H.  Mendum,  Thomas  S.  Nowell,  Wm.  F. 
Parrott,  Geo.  W.  Pendexter,  Commodore  Chas.  W.  Pickering,  Elbridge  G. 
Pierce,  Jr.,  John  Sise,  John  Stavers,  George  Tompson,  Henry  F.  Wendell, 
Ezra  H.  Winchester,  Hon.  Jas.  W.  Emery,  George  E.  Hodgdon. 

Mayor  Marvin  rose  and  said  "  We  will  now  unite  with  our  chaplain  in 
asking  the  blessing  of  the  Father  of  us  all." 

Rev.  James  De  Normandie  then  made  the  following 

PRAYER. — Let  us  lift  our  souls  up  to  the  Throne  of  Grace.  Our  Father, 
Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  without  whose  blessing  no  occasion  can  be 
blessed,  and  in  the  thought  of  whose  presence,  everything  becomes  holy, 
we  look  ut>  to  Thee  with  our  hearts  full  of  gratitude  for  the  unnumbered 
ways  in  which  Thou  hast  revealed  unto  us  Thy  will.  On  this  day,  which 
we  keep  as  the  birthday  of  our  nation,  we  would  pray  Thou  would'st  en- 
able us  to  discern  Thine  eternal  laws,  standing  steadfast  and  unchanged 
amidst  our  human  passions.  Grant,  we  pray  Thee,  that  we  may  be  faith- 
ful to  thee  in  our  service  ;  that  we  may  know  that  truth,  and  right,  and 
justice,  can  be  maintained  only  in  true,  in  right,  in  just  and  noble  works. 
On  this  day,  which  brings  to  our  favored  home  so  many  absent  ones,  we 
thank  Thee  for  the  glad  reunions  which  are  found  in  som^ny  homes.  We 
pray  for  thy  blessins  to  rest  upon  all  who  have  come  and  upon  all  who 
could  aot.  For  this  day  of  beauty,  we  thank  Thee.  For  the  divine  order 
of  this  beautiful  world  we  thank  Thee.  For  the  stream  of  thy  blessings, 
flowing  down  unbroken  through  the  ages,  we  thank  Thee.  Oh,  Father 
Almighty,  grant  that  we  may  be  true  and  faithful  to  Th/ee,  in  the  midst  of 
all  these  gifts.  Let  not  our  sins  gain  the  mastery  over  us.  Grant  that  we 
may  never  ask  to  be  delivered  from  the  consequences  of  our  transgressions, 
but  be  led  thereby  nearer  to  Thee.  And  oh  Thou,  who  in  Thine  infinite  love 
dost  never  overlook  or  fail  to  bless  us,  grant  that  we  may  receive  every 
blessing  with  faithful  hearts,  and  use  it  with  consecrated  wills,  and  so  be 
led  every  day  nearer  to  Thee.  And  when  the  old  homes  of  life  are  broken, 
gather  us  all  into  thy  house  eternal  with  Thee.  And  unto  Thee,  in  the  spirit 
of  Jesus  Christ,  shall  be  all  the  praise  and  glory,  world  without  end — 
Amen. 

THE  MAYOR, — I  have  now  the  pleasure  of  introducing  to  you,  JAMES  P. 
BARTLETT,  ESQ.,  Master  of  Ceremonies. 

ADDRESS    OF    J.    P.    BARTLETT. 

Dearly  Beloved, — It  is  a  warm  day,  but  our  hearts  are  warmer  than  the 
day.  There  is  a  spark  within  us  that  always  glows  at  the  word  "  Home," 
and  the  friends  around  us.  To-day,  it  kindles  into  flame,  and  we  thank 


36 

God  for  our  birthright !  (applause.)  Will  you  now  lend  your  willing  ears 
to  the  well-known  tones  of  our  brother  Barnabee,  while  he  reads  a  poem 
written  for  this  glorious  hour  by  our  well-beloved  brother,  ALBEBT 
LAIQHTOU. 

MR.  H.  C.  BARNABEE.  Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen, — To  oth- 
er lips  belong  the  utterances  of  wisdom  and  wit  which  the  reminiscences 
of  this  glad  day  of  jubilee  will  call  forth  ;  mine  the  privilege  of  acting  as 
interpreter  for  my  friend,  whose  modesty  is  only  equalled  by  his  ability. 
(Applause.)  Glad  shall  I  be  if  my  voice  can  give  proper  expression  to  the 
kindling  words  of  our  home  poet,  whose  welcoming  ode  I  now  read. 

WELCOME  HOME  ! 

Where  robed  in  beauty  vale  and  upland  lie, 
Bathed  in  the  glory  of  this  summer  sky  ; 

Where  evermore 

The  beat  of  ocean  on  the  rocky  shore 
Makes  music  wild  and  sweet ; 
And  ever  free,  the  fleet 

Blue  river  winds  by  isle  and  hay  ; 
0  brothers,  wandering  far  for  many  a  year, 
0  sisters  dear, 

We  welcome  you,  to-day  1 
0  happy  bells,  ring  out  I 

Each  breast  responsive  thrills : 

Ye  valleys  and  ye  hilla 
Give  back  our  greeting  shout  I 
While  strains  of  sweetest  music  charm  the  air, 

And  starry  banners  float  in  skies  of  blue  ; 
And  blossoming  arch  and  wreathed  column  bear 

The  heart's  endearing  language  warm  and  true. 

What  recollections  throng, 
What  tender  thoughts  arise, 
As  here,  beneath  your  native  skies, 

Once  more  ye  stand  1 
Here  live  the  echoes  of  your  cradle-song  ; 
This  is  the  fairy  realm  of  childhood's  time  ; 
Youth's  blest  Arcadian  clime ; 
The  dream  of  manhood's  prime  ; 

The  ihrine  of  age;  th'  Enchanted  Land, 
By  airs  of  memory  gently  fanned  ; 
The  dearest  spot  beneath  the  heaven's  blue  dome  ; — 

This,  this  is  home. 
Home,  with  its  streams  and  woods  ; 
Its  cool,  green  solitudes 
,         In  sylvan  places : 

Its  favorite  haunts  remembered  long  and  well ; 
Home,  where  dear  kindred  dwell, 

And  friendly  faces 

Reflect  our  own,  and  kindly  greeting  give  ; 
Where  many  a  loved  one  lies  in  dreamless  rest 
In  yonder  church-yard  by  the  moaning  wave  ; 
(Ah!  nevermore 
By  sea  or  shore, 

Shall  hand  in  hand  be  joined,  or  lip  to  lip  be  prest; 
Still  they  are  with  us  here, 
We  feel  their  presence  near  ; 

They  speak  to  us  and  soul  to  soul  replies  ; 
For  love,  love  never  dies  ; 
Love  is  a  flower  that  evermore  shall  live  ; 
Of  heavenly  birth, 
It  knows  no  blight  of  earth, 
And  blossoms  even  on  the  dusty  grave  ;) 
Home,  with  its  memories  sweet,  its  hopes,  its  fears,       • 
Its  gladness  and  its  tears  . 

0  fair,  sweet  Mother,  cradled  by  the  sea  1 

Thy  wandering  children  rest 

Once  more  upon  thy  breast 
Where  they  have  longed  to  be  1 
Where'er  they  roamed,  beneath  what  alien  sklea 

Their  lot  was  cast, 
Their  thoughts  still  turned  to  thee, 
And  homesick  tears  have  gathered  to  their  eyes  ; 


37 

Thou  wert  the  star  whose  ray 
Shone  o'er  the  dusky  pathway  of  the  past, 

And  led  them  where  their  fondest  treasures  lay. 

And  we  who  never  from  thy  side  have  strayed  ; 
Whose  hearts  to  thine  are  ever  closely  laid  : 
In  thy  dear  name  we  welcome  them  again  ; 
Our  hearts  go  out  to  meet  them  ; 
Our  hands  stretch  forth  to  greet  them  ; 
Our  lips  rehearse  once  more 
The  welcome  song  of  yore, 
And  answering  lips  repeat  the  joyful  strain. 

And  they,  thy  noble  sons, 
The  brave,  true-hearted  ones, 

Who  fought  in  Freedom's  name, 
For  country  and  for  thee ; — 
Amid  this  festal  scene 
We  keep  their  memories  green  ; 
Whether  upon  the  blood-stained  field  they  fell, 
Or  where  the  battle-flame 
Lit  up  the  wreck  upon  the  heaving  sea ; 

Whether  they  languished  in  the  weary  cell, 
Or,  worn  with  pain,  they  burned  to  thee  for  rest, 
And  died  upon  thy  breast; 

Where'er  for  us  they  perished 
Each  patriot  soul  is  cherished  ; 
Where'er  their  graves  are  found, 
To  us  'tis  hallowed  ground  ; 
And  there  on  each  returning  spring 
'     The  sweetest  flowers  we  bring. 

0  brothers,  wandering  far  for  many  a  y«ar, 
Ovsisters  dear, 
In  this  our  glad  reunion 
Our  hearts  as  one  are  beating  ! 
One  joyous  impulse  every  breast  elates  ; 

And  though  the  parting  word  be  spoken 
The  spell  shall  not  be  broken ; 
The  warm  and  heartfelt  greeting, 

The  sweet  communion ; 
The  charm  that  rests  on  river,  sea  and  shore, 

The  hue  of  sky  and  plain  : 

These,  in  the  mystic  wreath  that  Memory  twines, 
Shall  be  the  fadeless  flowers  ; 
And  thoughts  of  these  glad  hours 
Shall  blend  with  visions  of  a  happier  sphere 
Thau  that  which  holds  us  here ; 
A  summer  land  that  lieth  far  away ; 

Where  late  or  soon 
Our  paths  shall  join  again 
Divided  nevermore, 
A  city  measured  with  the  golden  reed, 

Whose  walls  are  jasper,  and  whose  gates  •  . 

(Each  gate  a  pearl)  close  not  by  day, 
And  whose  foundations  broad 
With  precious  stones  are  bright ; 
A  home  that  hath  no  night, 
Nor  any  need 
Of  sun  or  moon. 
But  where  forever  shines 
The  glory  of  the  Lord. 

Three  hearty  cheers  were  given  for  the  poet,  and  he  was  loudly  called  for, 
that  the  company  might  testify  yet  more  emphatically  their  gratitude  for  his 
beautiful  contribution  to  the  interest  and  pleasure  of  the  occasion,  but  he 
modestly  kept  his  seat. 

The  FIRST  REGULAR  SENTIMENT  was  then  read  as  follows  : — "  Massachu- 
setts and  New  Hampshire,  not  one  bound  to  the  other  by  a  united  gov- 
ernment, but  united  by  ties  of  kindness." 

Address  of  FHANK  GOODWIN,  ESQ.,  President  of  the  Boston  Society. 

It  was  the  custom  among  the  Romans,  w  are  told,  sir,  to  provide  for  a 
surplus  of  the  population  by  establishing  colonies  upon  the  exposed  fron- 
tiers ;  and  that  those  who  were  desirous  to  join  the  new  settlement,  being 


38 

invited  to  give  in  their  names,  when  all  the  preliminaries  were  arranged, 
the  whole  body,  with  dread  forebodings  yet  with  colors  flying,  marched 
forth  to  take  possession  of  their  new  home.  I  cannot  help  feeling  deeply, 
sir,  as  I  look  around  me  upon  the  concourse  of  to-day,  how  is  that  picture 
reversed.  We  who  went  forth  silently  and  singly  on  to  the  battle-field  of 
life, — without  parade — return  here  to-day,  bound  together  by  the  common 
tie  of  nativity,  and  in  solid  phalanx,  with  grateful  Hearts,  and  with  our 
banners,  come  to  take  possession  of  our  old  home,  and  to  enjoy  its  moth- 
erly welcome. 

And  what  a  venerable  old  home  it  is,  too, — two  hundred  and  fifty  years  of 
life — and  how  crowded  with  time-honored  associations.  In  walking  these 
streets  this  morning,  sir,  I  indulged  in  quite  a  reverie ;  and  I  had  it  borne 
in  upon  me,  that  the  very  stones  we  had  been  carelessly  treading  upon, 
had,  when  the  town  was  already  more  than  a  century  ana  a  half  old,  been 
hallowed  by  the  touch  of  Lafayette,  of  Steuben,  of  Langdon,  of  Washing- 
ton, and  of  a  host  of  others  good  and  great.  And  I  thought  of  Franklin, 
too,  who  came  here  in  1762,  and  personally  superintended  the  erection  of 
a  lightning  rod,  probably  of  his  own  invention, — he  who  was  so  soon 
thereafter  to  help  in  shaping  the  destinies  of  our  great  republic.  These 
and  many  other  similar  thoughts  arose,  until  the  dead  past  came  to  possess 
my  eye  with  its  own  peculiar  glamour  ;  and  I  thought  to  myself  who,  out 
of  all  the  vast  throng  that  come  here,  to-day,  who,  iudeed,  upon  this  vast 
continent  is  there  like  one  of  these  ? 

But,  sir,  further  reflection  swept  this  glamour  of  the  past  from  off  my 
eyes ;  and  when  I  remembered  the  great  inventors  of  modern  times  and 
their  inventions  ;  how  that  everything  is  utilized,  even  unto  the  great 
forces  of  nature;  indeed,  their  utility  being  commensurate  with  their  po- 
tency ;  when  I  reflected  that,  owing  to  the  genius  of  modern  science,  the 
very  lightning  that  Franklin  studied  to  defy  now  serves  as  a  picket  guard 
to  warn  us  of  the  approach  of  the  whirlwind  and  the  storm  ;  and  then 
again,  when  I  reviewed  the  great  character  and  learning  and  the  ability 
of  some,  and  the  general  intelligence  of  all  that  we  bring  back  with  us, 
coupled  with  what  we  find  here  at  the  old  home,  I  came  to  feel  that,  after 
all,  it  is  not  that  the  beacon  lights  are  any  the  less  lofty,  or  that  they 
blaze  out  any  the  less  brilliantly  to-day  than  in  the  by-gone  times,  but 
only  that  the  tide  has  risen  around  them. 

We  come  here,  to  day,  sir,  to  receive  your  parental  welcome  ;  and  in 
coming  here  we  join  with  you  in  celebrating  the  250th  anniversary  of  the 
settlement  of  the  town.  But  there  is  still  another  anniversary  to  my 
mind  as  worthy  of  commemoration  perhaps  as  the  one  I  have  mentioned 
— the  anniversary  of  a  deed  of  municipal  munificence — which,  taken  in 
connection  with  other  noble  acts  of  a  similar  sort,  did  more  to  lay  the 
foundations  of  our  present  free  republic  than  anything  else.  It  is  well 
known  that  the  settlers  at  Odiorne's  Point  came  here  for  very  different 
purposes  from  those  which  actuated  the  early  settlers  at  Massachusetts 
Bay.  The  founders  of  Portsmouth  came  to  fish  and  to  trade  ;  while  the 
founders  of  Boston  came  to  worship  God  in  their  own  way.  Now  in  1669 
several  liberal  citizens  of  Portsmouth,  appreciating  the  necessity  of  main- 
taining the  struggling  school  at  Cambridge — that  "first  flower  of  the  wil- 
derness," as  it  has  been  called — subscribed  largely  to.  a  fund  for  its  support, 
and  the  adoption  by  the  municipality  of  Portsmouth,  of  the  obligation  that 
its  citizens  had  taken  upon  themselves,  to  furnish  aid  to  Harvard  College, 
has  its  two  hundredth  anniversary  this  very  year.  And  I  think  it  safe  to 
say  that,  although  the  people  ot  the  two  provinces  were  harmonious,  yet 
as  they  were  of  different  natures,  in  those  very  early  days,  that  institu- 
tion of  Harvard  College,  sustained  in  its  struggling  infancy  by  this  noble 
municipal  act,  probably  did  more  to  modify  the  differences  between  the 
Massachusetts  Roundhead  and  the  New  Hampshire-  trader  than  anything 
else,  to  soften,  by  a  broad  culture,  the  asperities  of  the  Puritan  and  to  ele- 
vate the  tone  of  the  man  of  the  world. 


39 

Thus,  sir,  have  Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire  ever  had  a  common 
interest.  And  they  have  had  a  mutually  helpful  spirit  also  ;  and  when 
your  city  was  devastated  by  tue  memorable  fire  of  1813,  the  system  of  in- 
surance being  then  in  its  infancy,  it  was  Boston  that  of  all  the  cities  con- 
tributed most  liberally  to  repair  the  loss  and  relieve  the  distress.  So,  sir, 
in  coming  here  to-day,  we  feel  that  after  all,  we  have  only  removed  from 
one  room  to  another  in  the  ancestral  domicile.  Massachusetts  and  New 
Hampshire  are  one,  essentially  one.  The  law  may,  as  it  does,  separate 
them  by  imaginary  lines,  and  d'eclare  them  foreign  to  each  other ;  the  fed- 
eral bond  even,  may  hereafter  be  severed,  and  anarchy  or  petty  sovereignty 
ensue,  but  they  must  ever  remain  unsevered.  In  every  trial  of  their  his- 
tory they  have  been  found  together.  In  the  maritime  expedition  against 
Louisburg,  in  the  conflicts  with  French  and  savage  violence,  in  the 
hopeless  campaigns  of  the  Revolution,  in  the  wavering  contests  of  the  re- 
bellion, at  the  camp  fire  in  the  wilderness  and  on  the  open  plain  of  battle, 
their  sons  have  ever  been  found  together.  The  same  blanket  has  covered 
them  at  night  and  the  same  reveille  has  sounded  in  their  ears  in  the  morn- 
ing. They  have  trodden  together  the  path  of  glory,  and  they  have  died 
together  at  its  end. 

From  the  time  that  Myles  Standish,  winding  along  the  coast  line  from 
Plymouth,  set  foot  on  Odiorne's  Point,  to  ask  and  receive  succor  for  his 
famishing  colony,  to  the  time  that  the  South  surrendered  the  keys  of  her 
capital  to  a  Massachusetts  officer,  and  the  dwelling  of  her  chieftain  to  New 
Hampshire  troops,  they  have  been  found  together.  And,  sir,  when  we  re- 
turn to  the  places  from  whence  we  have  departed,  and  assume  once  more 
our  accustomed  duties,  we  shall  feel,  not  that  we  have  gone  to  another  land 
but  that  we  are  still  on  the  soil  of  our  origin.  [Loud  applause.] 

THE  MASTER  OF  CEREMONIES. — Sons  and  Daughters  of  Portsmouth, 
abroad  and  at  home !  I  propose  three  cheers  for  FRANK  GOODWIN,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Boston  delegation.  This  call  met  with  a  warm  response. 

SECOND  REGULAR  SENTIMENT. — New  York. — Bound  to  her  by  all  the 
ties  which  hold  us  to  the  great  centre  of  universal  commerce,  the  nearest 
and  dearest  pledges  of  our  interest  in  her  prosperity  are  the  sons  whose 
achievements  in  every  field  of  her  vast  enterprise  reflect  honor  upon  the 
place  of  their  birth  and  the  state  of  their  adoption. 

ADDRESS  OP  JACOB  WENDELL,  ESQ.. 

Mr.  President: — 1  did  not  suppose  until  a  late  hour  that  I  should  be 
called  upon,  for  it  was  distinctly  understood  by  my  friends  in  New  York 
that  1  should  on  this  occasion  be  like  the  traditional  small  boy,  seen  but 
not  heard,  but  it  seems  ordered  I  should  reply  to  the  sentiment  which 
has  been  offered. 

I  do  not  believe,  sir,  there  is  one  of  this  company  whose  recollections' 
of  Portsmouth  are  more  pleasant  than  my  own,  and  its  remembrance  is  al- 
ways a  fresh  happiness. 

It  was  here,  sir,  (I  address  Gov.  Goodwin)  and  in  your  counting-room 
that  I  had  my  first  business  a'dventure.  I  shipped  80  barrels  of  potatoes 
to  southern  ports,  and  finally  after  weeks  of  anxious  waiting,  netted  12 
cents. 

I  am  here,  sir,  on  this  occasion  to  represent  New  York,  the  great  metro- 
polis of  our  country,  I  might  say  its  very  heart,  thfc  pulsations  of  which  are 
felt  from  one  end  of  it  to  the  other,  where  business  is  done  on  a  gigantic 
scale,  whose  commerce  comes  from  every  clime,  whose  merchants  are  ever 
ready  to  respond  to  every  religious,  charitable  or  worthy  object,  that  com- 
mends itself  to  their  good  judgments.  Why,  sir,  I  have  been  told  oiten  by 
those  visiting  East  from  West  or  South  seeking  aid  for  some  religious  so- 
ciety or  institution  of  learning,  that  after  all  it  is  in  New  York  they  get 
their  greatest  help,  and  with  all  due  respect  to  other  places,  I  feel  1  can, 
safely  say  to  every  young  man  here,  native  of  Portsmouth,  that  there  is  no 
place  in  this  country  where  if  you  are  active,  persevering,  industrious  and 


40 

honest  with  a  proper  regard  for  economy,  your  success  is  more  sure  than 
in  New  York. 

There  was  a  time  when  New  York  and  Portsmouth  were  fully  as  closely 
interested  iu  each  other  as  at  the  present  time.  I  refer  to  the  Colonial  days 
— when  the  news  of  the  passing  of  the  stamp  act  was  received  in  the  Col- 
onies and  the  people  had  recovered  from  the  first  shock  of  amazement  that 
so  odious  a  measure  should  be  passed  upon  them — a  general  convention 
was  held  in  New  York,  the  result  of  which  was  a  declaration  of  rights,  a 
petition  to  the  king  and  a  memorial  to  both  houses  of  Parliament — and 
shortly  after  a  resolution  emanating  from  New  York  and  sent  to  the  other 
colonies  directing  English  merchants  to  ship  no  more  goods  to  America  and 
no  goods  coming  from  England  should  be  field  on  commission  in  the  Col- 
onies after  a  certain  date. 

The  other  colonies  in  turn  took  up  the  key  note  which  New  York  had 
sounded  and  I  have  in  my  hand  the  original  records  of  the  first  meeting 
which  was  held  in  Portsmouth  on  the  28th  of  September,  1768,  at  the 
house  of  Mr.  John  Stavers — the  document  is  long  or  I  would  read  it ; — 
suffice  it  to  say  that  Jonathan  Warner,  Samuel  Rindge  and  Jacob  Sheafe 
were  appointed  to  present  the  action  of  this  meeting  to  the  trade.  The 
action  of  the  colonies  is  a  matter  of  history,  but  this  document  has  a  local 
interest. 

New  York  and  Portsmouth  have  always  been  interested  in  commerce — 
New  York  building  her  first  vessel  as  early  as  1614,  and  in  1631,  she  built 
a  ship  of  800  tons.  What  a  monster,  sir,  it  must  have  seemed  in  those 
days  ;  but  it  was  only  emblematical  of  the  great  city.  She  has  outstripped 
all  others  in  this  country,  and  bids  fair  to  compete  favorably  with  the 
large  cities  of  Ihe  old  world. 

Portsmouth  has  done  her  part  to  make  up  the  enterprise  of  New  York  ;  a 
son  of  Portsmouth  fills  a  most  prominent  position  in  one  of  our  most  influen- 
tial journals.  You  see,  sir,  in  our  streets,  the  mark  of  Portsmouth  in  iron 
buildngs  cast  by  one  of  her  sons.  Sir,  if  you  could  know,  as  I  do,  the  en- 
ergy, the  perseverance,  the  headwork  done  by  two  of  the  members  of  the 
New  York  delegation  (and  to  them  belong  the  credit  for  all  that  has  been 
done,) — I  refer  to  Col.  E.  R.  Goodrich  and  S.  J.  Nowell, — in  laying  plans 
and  carrying  them  into  effect  for  this  celebration,  you  would  feel  honored, 
sir,  that  your  city  is  represented  in  New  York,  by  such  energy  and  enter- 
prise. May  the  good  influences  which  here  abound  be  instilled  into  the 
minds  of  the  rising  generation  and  may  Portsmouth  and  New  York  in 
another  twenty  years  again  clasp  hands,  each  thankful  for  the  past,  but 
more  than  ever  proud  ;  Portsmouth  that  her  sons  have  proved  worthy  of 
her  ;  New  York  that  she  is  fortunate  to  have  secured  them  as  a  part  of  her 
great  community. 

At  the  close  of  Mr.  Wendell's  remarks  three  cheers  were  given  for  the 
marshal  of  the  New  York  delegation. 

The  friends  of  Col.  Goodrich  vainly  endeavored  to  get  a  speech  from 
him,  but  although  prepared  to  talk,  his  mddesty  overcame  him,  and  he 
speaks  now  by  proxy,  paying  an  eloquent  and  touching  tribute  to  the 
home  of  his  childhood. 

Mr.  Chairman: — By  any  arrangement  of  your  Committee,  I  was  not 
set  down  for  a  speech,  nou  do  I  now  get  up  for  one.  During  the  remarks  of 
my  friend  Chief  Marshal  Wendell,  I  was  engaged  in  a  very  animated  dis- 
cussion with  one  of  the  returning  daughters  from  the  City  of  Boston,  and 
did  not  hear  the  sentence  touching  myself  made  by  my  superior  officer  ; 
but  I  know  his  generous  impulses,  and  I  fear,  sir,  that  he  has  said  too 
much.  I  was  claiming,  just  now,  in  my  talk  with  this  Boston  lady,  that 
the  first  thought  of  the  '  53  Reunion  was  that  of  the  President  of  our  del- 
egation, and  who  was  then  its  Chief  Marshal — Archibald  A.  Peterson.  I 
hold  in  my  hand,  sir,  the  baton  carried  by  him  on  that  memorable  occa- 
sion ;  and  if  there  has  been  anything  in  our  marching  or  evolutions  of 


41 

yesterday  or  to-day  at  all  creditable,  much  is  due  to  the  influence  of  so 
interesting  a  relic. 

My  dear  old  lady  friend  stoutly  contested  that  she  first  gave  pub- 
licity to  these  Reunions,  while  I  have  as  loudly  insisted  upon  it  for  my 
friend  Peterson  ;  but  you  all  know  the  pertinacity  of  this  female  in  good 
things  and  I  have  no  ambition,  sir,  that  she  should  go  into  practice  with 
any  of  those  little  persuasives  so  often  submitted  to  by  poor  old  Parting- 
ton  ;  and  I  left  her,  brandishing  her  cane,  all  ready  to  ejaculate  "  These 
New-York  chaps  cau  cover  the  old  town  all  over  with  their  colored  ban- 
tling and  their  Manhattan  hats,  but  as  the  great  poet  A.  Jackson,  so 
sweetly  said,  '  By  the  eternal,  twas  I.'  " 

But,  Mr.  Chairman,  I  can't  talk.  When  Gen.  Burnside,  at  a  Reunion  of 
the  Soldiers  of  his  corps  was  made  the  recipient  of  a  greeting  and  ovation 
such  as  his  men  only  can  give,  and  such  as  few  other  than  he  ever  receive, 
he  rose  from  his  seat,  and  essayed  a  speech,  but  'twas  too  much  for  him. 
He  uttered  a  half-dozen  syllables  and  sat  down,  more  eloquent  in  his 
silent  stifled  emotion  than  any  words  could  have  been.  An  old  sailor 
General  of  the  Corps,  once  known  to  many  of  you,  exclaimed  to  the  boys, 

"  The  old  fellow's  heart  is  full,    God  bless  him." 

There  are  many  old  fellow's  hearts  here  to-day  too  full  for  talk.  My 
own  has  in  by-gone  been  stirred  by  love  and  battle,  by  joy  and  trouble, 
but  I  have  never  realized  until  to-day  its  wonderful  capacity.  The  shouts 
of  welcome,  the  happy  faces,  the  joyous  greetings  of  yesterday  were  quite 
enough  for  us  nervous  New  Yorkers';  but  as  we  have  just  now  traversed 
over  the  dear  old  town,  every  house  seems  classic  with  memories  ;  every 
street-turning  recalls  a  legion  of  childhood's  joys  ;  and,  passing  churcn, 
school-house,  birth-spot,  and  the  old  home,  how  stored  is  the  hour 
with  tender,  touching  recollections.  Hallowed  to  us  by  innocent  sports 
are  the  beautiful  river  and  harbor,  the  ponds  and  creeks,  the  fields,  woods, 
and  beaches;  dear  and  precious  to  us  are  the  memories  of  pastor  and 
teacher,  the  day  and  sabbath  schools ; — and  sacred  forever  to  us  all,  is 
yonder  old  South  yard,  where  sleep  so  many  of  the  cherished  ones  over 
whose  bosoms  we  will  lovingly  scatter  the  fragrant  tributes  of  our  ever- 
continuing  affection. 

Mr.  President,  I  am  sure,  sir, -that  I  should  make  some  apology  for  the 
too  generous  exuberance  of  my  friends  and  townies  fiom  New  York.  It 
is  true,  that  there  have  been  bestowed  much  time  and  thought  to  this  work 
of  love,  but  no  compliment  of  praise  is  due  to  one  or  any  for  doing  that 
which  not  to  do  is  a  shame  and  ingratitude.  Each  of  us  has  done,  as  each 
has  felt  to  do,  everything  that  would  best  promote  all  of  the  joys  of  this 
happy  Festival  and  all  out  of  love  for  the  old  folks  at  home.  No  per- 
sonal aggrandizement  no  emoluments,  but  all  moved  by  the  one  senti- 
ment— "  This  is  my  own,  my  native  land.  " 

Men  and  women  of  Portsmouth !  I  thank  you  most  sincerely  for  this 
delightful  occasion.  It  has  been  a  pleasure  royal  in  kind  and  quantity  ; 
it  has  put  into  memory's  casket  its  dearest  gem  ;  it  has  been  a  benedic- 
tion of  love  that  shall  echo  all  our  lives  through.  May  God  bless  and 
prosper  you  and  yours. 

THE  TIIIRD  REGULAR  SENTIMENT  was  : — Our  Scholars  Abroad. — The 
laurels  they  wear  had  their  root  in  the  soil  of  New  Hampshire. 

This  was  responded  to  by  Rev.  A.  P.  Peabody  of  Harvard  College.  He 
said : — 

"  Our  Scholars  abroad"  have  many  of  them  of  late  years  come  under  my 
charge,  and  I  can  speak  of  them  as  having  done  abundant  honor  to  their 
native  place.  But  "  our  scholars  abroad"  has  a  much  larger  significance. 
You  have  seen,  I  have  no  doubt,  the  Declaration  of  Independence  inscrib- 
ed in  a  space  covered  by  a  dime.  In  asking  me  to  speak  of  the  scholarly 
and  literary  merits  of  Portsmouth,  in  five  minutes,  you  have  asked  me  to 
perform  very  much  more  than  that  feat.  (Laughter  and  applause.) 


42 

The  literary  worth  and  eminence  of  Portsmouth  has  been  constant, 
broad,  largely  diversified,  reaching  from  the  first  Fenhallow,  who  wrote  a 
'•  History  of  the  Indian  Wars,"  famous  in  his  time,  down  to  those  who,  in 
every  department  of  literary  creation  and  work,  are  doing  honor  to  our  city. 

Within  the  last  twenty-five  years  in  the  metropolis  of  New  England,  al- 
most all  good  literature  has  passed  through  Portsmouth  hands,  either  in 
authorship,  editorship  or  in  the  publication  department.  (Applause.) 
For  in  each  of  these  departments  you  know  we  have  men  eminent  of  their 
kind.  The  house  over  which  our  friend  FIELDS  so  long  presided,  haa  made 
itself  the  one  illustrious  publishing  house  of  America,  and  has  won  a  con- 
tinental, and  even  so  far  as  the  English-speaking  world  is  concerned  a  cos- 
mopolitan fame.  From  that  house,  as  you  well  know,  has  issued,  within 
the  last  few  years,  not  only  a  large  portion  of  our  best  productions  in  liter- 
ature, but  several  periodicals,  which  have  an  enduring  place  in  the  literary 
reputation  of  i\ew  England,  and  of  these  periodicals,  a  large  part  of  the 
editorial  work  has  been  done  by  Portsmouth  men.  (Applause.) 

But  if  I  were  to  particularize  those  who  have  been  thus  honored,  I  should 
only  show,  not  my  partiality,  but  my  thoughtless  ignorance  for  the  time 
being.  True  it  is  not  a  hazy  and  dim  galaxy  before  me,  when  I  try  to 
single  out  "  bright,  particular  stars,"  but  their  lustre  is  so  confused  and 
blended  in  the  medium  through  which  I  look  upon  these  faces  to-day,  that 
I  cannot  single  them  out. 

Let  me,  however,  in  closing,  say  a  word  for  one  who  cannot  be  here  and 
upon  whom  the  light  of  this  day  cannot  shine.  Among  ihe  good  works 
done  by  our  friend  SHILLABER,  whom  we  always  delight  to  hjonor  (loud 
applause) ,  has  been  the  editing  of  the  poems  of  our  blind  and  suffering 
bard,  DASIEL  A.  DROWN.  I  spent  an  hour  or  two  yesterday  in  reading 
some  of  his  poems  :  sweet,  deliciously  sweet  and  pure  ;  pensive,  indeed,  as 
they  well  may  be,  coming  from  one  who  has  suffered  these  long  years,  and 
who  has  been  withdrawn  from  his  very  youth  until  now,  in  the  late  ma- 
turity of  manhood,  a  period  approaching  to  old  age,  from  all  the  joys  of 
life, — but  breathing  the  sweetest  contentment,  patience  and  resignation. 

And  let  me  say,  in  one  concluding  word,  that  in  the  galaxy  of  which  I 
have  spoken,  there  are  some  brighter  spots  than  others,  but  there  are  none 
of  those  obscure  patches  that  we  sometimes  see  in  a  luminous  track.  I 
know  not  a  name  among  the  literary  men  of  Portsmouth,  which  I  should 
not  be  glad  to  recognize  here  to-day.  I  know  not  one  who  has  not  done 
himself  Honor  ;  I  know  not  one  of  whom  his  native  place,  or  the  place  from 
which  he  emigrated,  may  not  be  proud.  (Applause.) 

Music — "  Auld  Lang  Syne." 

FOURTH  REGULAR  SENTIMENT  : — The  great  West: — We  hail  with  joy  the 
laying  of  every  additional  tie  or  rail  that  brings  us  nearer  to  her,  but  our 
strongest  tie  is  the  love  we  bear  to  our  sons  and  daughters,  scattered  over 
its  plains. 

ADDRESS   OF   ROBERT   L.   HARRIS,   ESQ.,   OF   CHICAGO. 

The  Great  West  is  a  broad  subject,  on  which  it  were  more  easy  to  dwell 
for  hours  than  for  minutes.  At  the  time  of  the  last  general  gathering  of 
the  Sons  and  Daughters  of  Portsmouth — twenty  years  ago — the  Great  West 
had  just  commenced  in  earnest  its  part  in  the  great  drama  marked  out  for 
this  nation.  Before  that  time  the  tide  of  immigration  had  not  reached  in 
any  large  numbers  the  broad  and  fertile  prairies  of  Illinois  and  the  other 
States  bordered  by  the  Mississippi  river.  So  rapidly  did  immigration  fol- 
low the  introduction  of  railroads,  in  these  States,  in  the  years  that  imme- 
diately ensued,  that  when  the  war  came  they  were  not  only  able  to  put 
vast  armies  into  the  field,  but  had  enough  left  to  do  their  part  of  feeding 
all,  whilst  New  England  did  its  part  in  the  way  to  which  it  was  more  suit- 
ably adapted. 

The  war  ended,  the  great  West  solved  the  problem  that  troubled  the 


43 

anxious,  What  is  to  become  of  this  vast  army  ?  by  receiving  into  its  bo  som 
all  who  sought  it,  and  providing  them  with  immediate  means  of  employ- 
ment and  wealth,  and  by  its  vast  and  unlimited  resources  is  helping  to 
solve  the  other  problem,  How  to  pay  the  national  debt,  by  tempting  the 
teeming  population  of  the  old  countries,  with  farms  and  every  luxury  the 
heart  of  man  ought  to  desire,  to  come  over  and  help  us  to  do  it.  But 
whilst  the  great  West  offers  so  bountifully  the  means  of  growth  in  material 
wealth,  it  cannot  surpass — it  will  do  well  if  it  can  equal — this  good  old 
town,  in  the  means  it  affords  for  growth  in  what  is  far  more  valuable, 
and  without  which  material  wealth  is  scarcely  desirable — the  virtues  that 
adorn  life.  The  beauty  that  distinguishes  the  city  and  its  surroundings 
should,  as  it  does,  cultivate  the  poet  and  the  scholar — and  ever  invites  to 
a  love  of  the  beautiful  and  true;  and  in  behalf  of  those  for  whom  I  am  in- 
vited to  respond,  1  thank  you,  kind  friends,  for  calling  us  back  from  our 
distant  homes  to  mingle  for  a  a  day  amid  these  scenes  of  beauty  and  peace, 
and  to  receive  your  congratulations  for  whatever  success  may  have  attend- 
ed our  efforts  to  carry  into  practical  life  the  good  lessons  learned  here,  and 
to  strengthen  our  desire  to  do  honor  to  those  who  thus  honor  us  with  their 
interest. 

FIFTH  REGULAR  SENTIMENT: — The  Daughters  of  Portsmouth: — The 
mothers  and  ornaments  of  other  towns. 

ADDRESS   OP   JAMES  T.    FIELDS,   ESQ. 

Mr.  President,  Brothers  and  Sisters : — In  that  imaginative  series  of  paint- 
ings called  "  The  Voyage  of  Life,"  by  our  thoughtful  American  artist, 
Cole,  we  see  the  child  tended  by  its  guardian  angel,  in  a  boat  laden  with 
flowers  floating  out  into  the  stream  between  banks  that  are  gilded  by  the 
rising  sun ;  then  the  youth  full  of  hope  and  courage,  taking  the  helm  into 
his  own  hand,  his  guardian  spirit  gazing  upon  him  anxiously  from  the 
shore ;  then  the  mature  man  driven  onward  into  the  eddies  and  rapids  of 
the  river  ;  and  then  the  grey-haired  voyager  who,  having  approached  the 
mouth  of  the  stream,  is  being  launched  into  that  great,  mysterious  ocean 
which  lies  in  shadow,  dark  and  vague,  before  him.  Cole  might  have 
painted  that  picture  from  our  own  abounding  river  with  its  flowery  banks, 
its  eddying  forces  and  its  grand  and  lordly  union  with  the  sea. 

There  runs  the  stream  ;  such  is  the  voyage  of  life  ;  here  stood  our  guard- 
ian angels  and  watched  us  as  we  hurried  away  from  these  fair  and  peace- 
ful shores.  Some  of  us  return  to  bless  them ;  and  some  have  sailed  out  be- 
yond the  billows  into  the  silent  land. 

Mr.  President, — The  sentiment  you  have  just  announced,  though  old  as 
human  affection,  is  ever  new  and  welcome.  To  us  who  have  come  up  on 
this  hallowed  morning  to  the  city  of  our  birthplace,  this  spot  of  all  the' 
world,  dearest  and  best  to  every  one  of  us,  a  toast  which  celebrates  the 
daughters  of  Portsmouth  carries  a  devout  and  reverential  meaning  to 
every  throbbing  heart.  We  do  not  assemble  here  on  this  proud  anniver- 
sary— returning  pilgrims  to  a  holy  shrine — to  flatter  or  burn  incense 
before  our  living  mothers  and  sisters  and  wives  and  daughters,  or  to  light 
up  afresh,  simply,  the  enduring  tapers  of  praise  around  the  tombs  of  those 
•who  have  loved  us,  and  are  now  passed  into  the  skies.  I  take  it  for 
granted  every  man  of  us  feels  and  knows  that  a  woman  born  in  Ports- 
mouth is  about  the  best  production  which  this  little  planet  of  ours  is  in 
the  habit  of  gracing  the  universe  with. 

We  do  not,  I  repeat  sir,  come  back  all  the  way  from  New  York,  and 
Boston,  and  Philadelphia,  and  St.  Louis,  to  utter  superfluous  words  about 
any  of  them.  Here  they  are,  God  bless  them,  to  speak  for  themselves 
— married  and  single  ;  mothers,  grandmothers,  and  dear  old  motherly 
aunts,  and  aunts  that  are  motherly  only  by  adoption — here  they  are 
beaming  their  fond  loving  eyes  upon  us, — and  all  we  say  is,  beat  those 
eyes  if  you  can  ! 


44 

I  wish  there  were  time  to  refer  adequately  to  those  of  our  girls  who 
have  graced  our  literature  with  their  prose  and  their  poetry.  The  names 
of  Thaxter,  and  Kimball,  and  Barnes,  and  Simes,  and  Whiton,  and  Knight 
and  Roberts  are  enough  of  the  honored  roll,  however,  to  remind  you  that 
New  England  has  received  from  Portsmouth  exquisite  additions  to  her 
literary  fame. 

And  just  here,  Mr.  President,  I  have  a  special  word  to  say  to  my 
brothers  about  our  much  esteemed  sisters.  The  men  of  the  world  have  not 
until  quite  recently  begun  to  deal  out  even-handed  justice  to  the  women 
of  the  world.  And  even  now  many  of  us  hang  back,  and  are  not  quite 
ready  to  see  why  they  should  have  the  same  opportunities,  mental  and 
national,  with  ourselves.  For  one  I  believe  that  this  universe  will  never 
be  wholly  finished,  never  thoroughly  ripened,  until  woman  everywhere 
shall  have  the  avenues  to  education  and  government  open  to  her,  as  wide 
and  expansive  as  God's  universal  providence,  which  is  over  all  and  for 
all.  I  have  no  sympathy  whatever  with  that  mediaeval  superstition,  or 
that  blind  modern  predjudice,  which  underrates  the  human  brain  by 
classifying  it  into  male  and  female.  And  I  fully  believe  that  a  new  era  of 
happiness  is  waiting  to  dawn  on  that  portion  of  the  earth  where  woman 
shall  be  thoroughly  educated, — educated,  not  ornamented  only,  and  where 
mind  shall  be  equal  and  intellect  triumphantly  crowned  without  any  re- 
gard to  sex. 

Dickens,  in  his  own  beautiful  way,  says,  "  The  pride  of  a  mother  in 
her  children  is  composed  of  two  cardinal  virtues — Faith  and  Hope;  " 
and  let  me  emphasize,  in  the  bearing  of  my  younger  friends  who  are  with 
us  to-day  this  earnest  injunction :  Have  a  care  that  you  never  whiten  by 
unloving  words  or  deeds  one  hair  of  that  dear  head,  or  mark  with  sorrow 
one  line  on  that  dear  face.  Remember  that  a  mother's  love  is  perennial  ; 
that  it  knows  no  change;  it  is  that  Bethlehem  star  in  the  East  which 
comes  and  stands,  forever  undimmed,  over  where  the  young  child  was  ! 

I  was  honored  by  being  called  up  to  respond  to  a  sentiment  which 
touches  us  all  deeply — "  The  Daughters  of  Portsmouth."  May  I  claim 
your  attention  two  or  three  moments  longer  by  reading  a  few  verses,  made 
for  this  occasion,  not  by  myself,  but  by  the  better  half  of  me,  who  had 
the  accidental  misfortune  not  to  be  born  in  Portsmouth.  I  never  heard 
her  say  she  regretted  being  born  in  Boston  but  I  am  sure  if  the  popular 
prejudice  was  not  in  favor  of  a  mortal's  having  only  one  birth  place — if 
she  could  by  any  special  dispensation  have  had  two — her  choice  for  one 
of  them  would  have  fallen  among  you,  my  friends,  in  this  time-honored 
city. 

But  you  shall  hear  the  verses  she  sends  to  you,  and  judge  how  loyal  she 
is  to  our  native  place,  which  might  have  been  her  own,  I  am  willing  to 
believe,  had  the  selection  of  nativity  been  left  entirely  to  her. 

A  welcome  to  your  happy  shore, 
From  one  who  loves  your  sea-washed  town, 

As  lovers  ever  love  the  more 
Another's  not  their  own. 


The  music  of  these  ancient  sands, 
Gay  flutterings  of  the  populous  trees, 

The  sunset  stretching  golden  hands 
Across  the  nurule  seas. 


e  suiieei/  MI  t-i  fijiij^  gu 
Across  the  purple  seas 


Are  all  to-day  as  once  they  were 
Strong  In  the  light  of  changeless  youth, 

And  variously  their  voices  here 
Repeat  one  loving  truth. 

Hoses  and  lilies  fade,  and  dumb 

Must  grow  the  birds  —  yet  springs  return. 
Gray  hair  is  not  true  manhood's  sum, 

Nor  life's  the  dusty  urn. 


45 

V 

The  boy  is  ever  Nature's  friend, 

She  whispers  lest  he  should  forget, 
"  Thy  youth  and  mine  can  never  end 

However  time  may  fret.  " 

"  Return,"  she  says,  "  to  the  old  home, 

Through  sun  and  dark  I  always  wait       ' 
To  show  my  boys,  whene'er  they  come 

They  never  are  too  late." 

In  rest  of  Sunday  afternoon 

Still  as  of  old  the  shadows  creep 
Past  the  old  church,  and  just  as  soon 

Stretch  on  the  fields  asleep. 

/ 
Still  after  service,  faithful  done 

The  second  time,  I  etay  to  meet 
The  group  returning,  dance  in  the  sun 

To  tempt  their  restless  feet. 

With  those  I  love  age  cannot  stay, 

Though  wisdom  bring  her  silver  gift, 
Their  hearts  with  me  are  still  at  play, 

Whatever  storm  may  drift. 

"  Dear  boys  "  she  whispers,  "  all  is  well  1 

The  love  that  brings  ye  back  to  me, — 
Deeper  than  toncue  can  ever  tell, — 

Gives  back  thy  youth  to  thee.  " 

The  audience  responded  to  a  call  for  three  cheers  for  the  champion  of 
the  daughters  of  Portsmouth  with  a  hearty  good  will. 

SAMUEL  J.  NOWELL,  of  New  York,  High  School  boys  of  New  York — 
James  T.  Fields — we  all  love  him — give  him  three  more.  This  call,  also, 
was  responded  to  with  enthusiasm. 

SIXTH  REGULAK  SENTIMEKJ: — Our  Public  School  System — One  of  the 
fountains  from  which  springs  the  intellectual,  political  and  commercial 
greatness  of  the  people. 

ADDRESS   OF   REV.   EDWARD  A.   RAND. 

Mr.  President,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  ;—  If  I  wanted  to  prove  the  truth 
of  that  sentiment,  I  would  take  this  gathering  here  to-day  as  the  proof. 
It  is  with  pleasure  that  I  stand  here  and  recognize  my  indebtedness  to  the 
public  schools  of  Portsmouth.  For  me,  around  that  dingy  old  structure 
on  State  street,  in  whose  lower  story,  as  the  Grammar  School  teacher,  for- 
merly presided  Mr.  Timothy  G.  Senter,  and  in  the  upper  part,  as  master  of 
the  High  School,  was  Mr.  Israel  P.  Kimball, — I  say,  around  that  old  build- 
ing there  is  a  glory  in  my  eyes  that  I  am  afraid  no  palatial  structure  can 
ever  possess.  I  remember  that  our  teachers  drilled  us  to  the  idea  of  con-' 
science  in  study.  I  recognize  our  public  school  system  in  Portsmouth  as  a 
shaping  tool  in  my  personal  character.  I  never  can  forget  the  studious- 
ness  of  the  boys  there.  I  speak  with  no  disparagement  of  the  girls;  they 
did  just  as  well  in  Mr.  Nichols'  school ;  but  I  know  more  about  the  boys. 
I  can  speak  of  the  studiousness  of  the  lads  ;  of  their  accuracy  in  mathe- 
matics ;  of  their  thoroughness  in  history ;  and  of  the  fact,  that  they  were 
good  Latin  scholars.  I  am  glad  that  Portsmouth,  in  these  days,  when  the 
classics  are  apt  to  be  disparaged,  still  insists  in  a  knowledge  of  Latin  in  its 
public  schools.  I  do  not  believe  that  her  boys  and  girls,  as  they  go  out, 
will  ever  make  such  a  blunder  on  their  Latin  as  I  noticed  not  long  ago,  in 
connection  with  an  anecdote  told  of  one  of  the  old  Scotch  professors.  It 
was  in  those  days  when  the  professors  were  accustomed  to  address  their 
pupils,  in  the  recitation  room,  in  Latin.  One  of  the  pupils  had  been  guilty, 
before  the  eyes  of  the  instructor,  of  jumping  over  a  table,  and  the  old  Pro- 
fessor addressed  him  in  Latin.  He  got  along  quite  well  at  first,  but  after 
a  little  while  his  indignation  became  so  great  that  he  committed  a  very 
erious  blunder.  "  Norme  video  is,  jumpantem  over  the  table!"  (Mem- 


46 

merit.)  I  hope  the  boys  and  girls  of  the  Portsmouth  schools  do  better  than 
that  when  they  go  out. 

I  want  to  say,  Mr.  Prepident,  that  there  is  something  of  which  we  in 
New  England  may  especially  boast,  as  our  great  glory,  and  that  is,  our 
common  school  system.  Not  long  ago,  I  heard  a  gentleman  from  England 
say  that  that  was  our  greatest  source  of  pride — our  common  school  system. 
And  in  Massachusetts,  acting  upon  that  idea,  they  have  floated  a  New 
England  school-house  across  the  seas,  to  be  exibited  at  the  Vienna  Expo- 
sition ;  and  if  they  had  only  come  down  and  taken  Master  PAYSON,  and 
Master  SMITH,  and  some  of  the  Portsmouth  boys  and  girls,  and  filled  that 
school-house  they  would  have  shown  a  more  complete  illustration  of  what 
we  consider  as  the  corner-stone  of  New  England  civilization.  (Applause.) 
We  must  not  forget,  that  at  the  bottom  of  our  common  school  system  is  that 
idea,  which  is  so  identified  with  our  entire  political  greatness.  It  is  that 
of  the  worth  of  the  individual  irrespective  of  caste,  or  color,  or  creed  ;  we 
have  not  yet  got  quite  so  far  as  to  say  "  or  sex,"  but  I  hope  we  shall. 
(Applause.)  The  worth  of  the  individual !  In  Spain,  a  man  who  was  an 
American  by  birth,  and  had  also  been  an  English  citizen,  was  brought  be- 
fore a  Spanish  court,  and  condemned  to  death.  What  did  his  friends  do? 
They  threw  over  him  the  glory  of  the  stars  and  stripes,  and  draped  him 
with  the  broad  Union  Jack,  and  then  turned  to  the  appointed  executioners, 
the  musketeers,  and  said,  "  Fire  if  you  dare  !"and  they  did  not  dare  to 
fire.  It  was  the  Government  that  was  represented  in  the  individual !  and 
if  there  is  any  nation  on  the  face  of  the  earth  where  the  government  is 
represented  in  the  individual,  it  is  in  America,  and  especially  in  New  Eng- 
land. And  because  the  individual  in  our  common  school  system  is  consid- 
ered to  be  of  such  worth  as  to  be  so  fully  educated.  I  glory  in  our  public 
school  system,  and  rejoice  in  its  identity  with  our  national  greatness.  It 
means  to  me  that  the  time  has  come  when  we  should  have  a  National  Uni- 
versity, where  should  be  gathered  the  very  front  men  of  the  nation  for  in- 
tellect, and  that  the  doors  of  this  University  should  be  thrown  open,  not  only 
to  men  but  to  women,  where  they  should  receive,  without  cost,  the  most 
liberal  culture. 

Before  I  close,  I  want  to  say,  that  we  must  not  forget,  that  here  to-day 
we  are  remembering  old  New  Hampshire.  We  stand  over  the  cradle  of 
New  Hampshire — that  cradle  that  was  rocked  by  strong  sea  winds  two 
hundred  and  fifty  years  ago.  We  can  point  with  pride  to  the  men  whom 
New  Hampshire  has  sent  out,  and  we  rejoice  in  her  mountains.  We  send 
out  the  men  who  rule  the  country,  and  then  we  call  the  country  in  to  look 
up  to  the  grand  peaks  of  our  mountains.  As  we  are  remembering  New 
Hampshire  now,  as  we  think  of  the  great  men  who  have  gone  before  us, — 
names  that  shine  in  the  constellated  glory  of  the  departed, — we  must  not 
forget  how  much  they  owed  to  the  public  school  system  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  I  trust  that  this  State,  with  regard  to  her  ideas  upon  education, 
will  not  be  found  in  the  rear  consenting,  but  will  be  found  in  the  front, 
commanding.  Have  you  forgotten  the  old  story  connected  -with  the  war  ? 
There  was  a  sergeant  or  color  guard  who  had  gone  ahead  of  the  men  in  a 
certain  fight  with  the  colors.  "Come  back  !f>  said  the  captain  ;  "bring 
the  colors  back  where  the  men  are  !"  "No,"  said  the  brave  soldier,  "bring 
the  men  up  where  the  colors  are  !"  (Applause.) 

New  Hampshire  must  take  the  lead,  and  then  it  will  be  for  all  to  come 
up  and  follow.  (Three  cheers  for  the  High  School  boys.) 

THE  MASTER  OF  CEREMONIES.  In  connection  with  the  eloquence  to 
which  we  have  just  listened,  I  will  propose  as  a  sentiment  : 

The  Army  and  Navy  of  the  United  States. — A  representative  of  the 
Navy  was  here,  but  I  am  afraid  he  has  gone.  He  is  a  modest  man,  but  a 
very  courageous  one.  I  refer  to  Capt.  JAMES  S.  THORNTON,  the  hero  of  the 
Kearsarge.  He  is  not  a  Portsmouth  boy,  but  he  is  a  native  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, which  is  the  next  best  thing  to  being  a  Portsmouth  boy.  We  are 


47 

proud  to  have  him  here,  and  proud  as  a  nation  to  claim  him.  (Captain 
Thornton  did  not  respond.) 

Mr.  Bartlett  then  said  ,  "You  are  all  aware,  that  the  projectors  of  this 
grand  meeting  were  principally  the  young  men,  Sons  of  Portsmouth,  at 
home  and  abroad;  but  let  me  assure  you  that  so  far  as  those  more  ad- 
vanced here  in  Portsmouth  are  concerned,  although  they  have  been  less 
active  in  the  matter,  they  have  most  heartily  endorsed  and  encouraged 
the  young  men  who  were  engaged  in  making  the  arrangements  for  this 
plorious  festival.  Foremost  among  them,  is  one  whose  name  brings  a  thrill 
of  pleasure  to  my  heart,  as  I  have  no  doubt  it  will  to  the  heart  of  every 
one  here,  the  evening  of  whose  life  I  trust  will  be  as  peaceful  as  its  morn- 
ing and  noon  have  been  active,  useful,  noble  and  generous.  I  refer  to 
the  Ho'n.  Ichabod  Goodwin,  Ex- Governor  of  New  Hampshire. 

Geo.  Goodwin's  response  was  as  follows  : 

The  cordial   welcome  that  has   greeted  you,  ladies  and  gentlemen,   on 

four  return,  can  gain  nothing  from  any  words  of  mine.     I  know  not  that 
can  find  anything  more  pertinent  to  say,  than  to  speak  to  you  as  one  of 
the  oldest  citizens  of  your  old  home,  and  to  renew  to  you  in  their  behalf 
what  the  civic  authorities,  the  active  youth,  and  the  citizens  at  large,  all 
have  shown  you — a  plentitude  of  welcome. 

We  greet  you,  our  hearts  kindled  with  the  love  of  parents  for  their 
children,  of  brothers  and  sisters,  of  neighbors,  playmates  and  school  com- 
panions, and  freshened  and  kept  aglow  by  all  the  associations  of  our  early 
life. 

I,  who  address  you,  well  remember  the  conflict  that  filled  the  soul,  when 
the  hour  came,  to  leave  the  paternal  home,  to  seek  a  new  one  among 
strangers;  and  though  time  may  have  effaced  the  sting  of  parting, — the 
new  house  having  grown  to  be  an  old  one — yet,  I  can  well  appreciate  the 
feelings  that  burn  in  your  bosoms  to-day,  for  I  know  that  though  oceans 
and  continents  separate  us  from  the  home  of  our  childhood  ;  though  time 
sever  us  long  from  it,  yet  throughout  life,  whether  in  prosperity  or  in  adver- 
sity, the  mind  will  find  itself  straying  off  to  take  a  look  at  the  Father-land, 
and  that  the  very  thought  of  the  old  home,  ever  will  work  a  deep  emotion 
in  the  soul.  We  rejoice  to  see  so  many  of  you,  not  looking  in  imagina- 
tion to  the  place  of  your  nativity,  but  visiting  it  in  person. 

You  come  back  to  a  home  of  which  you  may  be  proud,  and  we  are 
proud  to  meet  you  at  the  old  homestead,  though  it  is  not  a  place  of  great 
wealth  ;  yet  it  is  one  of  great  moral  worth,  and  great  comfort ,  one  where 
neighbor  loves  neighbor,  where  fraternal  feelings  largely  prevail.  We 
often  boast  and  with  much  truth,  that  there  is  no  community  of  our  popu- 
lation where  the  people  are  better  clothed,  fed  and  housed,  than  in  Ports- 
mouth, and  we  boast  of  sending  out  as  many  from  our  homes,  who  have 
distinguished  themselves  in  all  the  various  vocations  of  life,  and  have  done 
honor,  not  only  to  their  native  town,  but  to  our  country  at  large,  as  any 
other  portion  of  the  State  ;  and  no  State  of  this  Union  can  make  claim  to 
sending  abroad  in  our  country  more  distinguished  men,  than  New  Hamp- 
shire. 

Go  where  we  may  in  this,  our  extended  country,  we  find  Portsmouth 
represented,  and  I  am  happy  to  say  from  experience  and  observation,  there 
is  no  better  passport,  than  to  be  known  as  a  native  of  Portsmouth  ;  and  I 
have  ever  found  existing  among  her  sons,  a  strong  feeling  of  brother- 
hood. 

It  is  never  asked  of  what  family  you  are,  or  who  your  associates  were, 
but  it  is  sufficient  that  it  be  known  that  you  are  from  old  Portsmouth,  to 
be  received  at  once,  as  a  brother  and  a  friend;  when  the  delightful  remin- 
iscences of  happy  days  spent  at  the  old  home,  are  called  up,  and  inquiries 
for  the  prosperity  and  happiness  of  those  left  behind. 

Twenty  years  ago  was  inaugurated  this  beautiful  idea,  the  returning 
of  our  sons  to  their  native  place.  That  was  a  glorious  and  memorable 


48 

gathering  at  old  Strawberry  Bank.  While  we  miss  many  faces  that 
cheered  us  on  that  bright  occasion,  we  may  all  look  forward  to  a  grand 
reunion  of  the  sons  and  daughters,  those  who  were  with  us  then  and 
those  who  gather  now,  in  that  world  where  there  shall  be  no  more  sepa- 
ration or  sorrow  or  parting,  but  all  shall  be  assembled  as  one  brother- 
hood in  the  presence  of  our  Heavenly  Father.  Again  and  again  I  say, 
•welcome  home,  We  all  rejoice  to  see  you  at  the  old  homestead.  Come 
again ;  come  soon. 

THE  MASTER  OF  CEREMOKIES.  I  see  around  me  many  of  the  friends  of  my 
youth,  and  among  them  one  attracts  my  eye  who,  I  remember  in  my  early 
days,  was  very  fond  of  the  game  of  marbles.  He  was  always  very  successful 
in  the  game,  for  he  generally  had  a  full  bag  himself,  and  I  rather  think 
that  is  one  of  the  elements  that  belong  to  his  character,  for  he  has  managed 
since  to  keep  his  purse  pretty  full,  and  his  head  pretty  full  of  ideas.  I 
refer  to  our  Portsmouth  boy,  SAMUEL  H.  GOOKIN.  [A  voice — "  He  has  just 
stepped  out."  ]  In  his  absence,  I  will  call  on  another  star  of  our  gal- 
axy to  answer  for  himself, — B.  P.  Shillaber,  or  "  Mrs.  Partington." 

Mr.  Shillaber  was  received  with  prolonged  applause,  and  cries  of  "  up, 
up,"  that  all  might  see  him  ;  to  which  he  replied  that  it  would  be  "  all 
up"  with  him  if  he  did.  He  then  proceeded  to  read  the  following  poem, 
in  his  own  inimitable  style,  which  was  received  with  shouts  of  laughter  and 
great  applause.  At  its  conclusion,  he  was  very  heartily  cheered. 

Gleam,  waves  of  swift  Piscataqua, 

Sing,  woods  on  tranquil  Kittery's  side, 
Shout,  Newington  upon  the  Bay, 
Ye  airs  of  "Greenland's  icy,"  play, 
And  Old  Rye  mingle  with  the  tide  ; 

Let  "kettle  to  the  trumpet  speak, 

The  trumpet  to  the  cannonier;" 
Ring,  bells,  whose  tones  o'er  Walker'*  Creek, 
Through  distant  vales,  shall  echoes  seek, 

And  bring  them  willing  captives  here, — 

For  every  heart  is  full  to-day, 

And  everything,  in  sweet  accord, 
Must  tributary  Largesse  pay, 
To  recognize  the  genial  sway 

Of  JOT,  the  season's  sovereign  lord; 

Our  good  old  mother  spreads  her  arms, 

To  welcome  back  her  sons  to-day, 
Who  come  from  worldly  strifes  and  harms, 
Responsive  to  the  potent  charms 

That  still  among  them  all  hold  sway. 

From  scenes  afar,  with  lengthened  ranks, 

They  to  her  side  maternal  fly  ; 
Forget  the  early  duteous  spanks 
That  fell  iu  showers  upon  their  flanks, 

When  driven  abroad  their  fate  to  try. 

No  cause  for  murmuring  at  the  fact ; 

'Twas  Providence  in  kind  disguise 
That  sent  them  off  to  think  and  act, 
To  cultivate  the  world's  great  tract, 

And  make  men  better  and  more  wise. 

This  is  the  mission  every  "son" 

Is  obligated  to  perform  ; 
And,  in  the  long  decisive  run, 
Invariably  it  is  done, 

As  all  confess  with  feeling  warm. 

The  pulpit,  law,  the  trades,  the  mart, 
The  press  and  schools,  where'er  you  search, 

Perform,  It  seems,  a  better  part, 

With  more  efficiency  and  heart, 
When  trade-marked  by  the  Old  North  Church. 


49 


How  wide  they've  scattered  !  every  land 
And  every  sea  some  one  may  show  ; 

From  Egypt's  yellow  glistening  sand, 

To  where  the  icy  floes  expand, 
And  the  North  Pole  sticks  through  the  snow. 

They  take,  of  course,  the  foremost  place, 

With  modesty  that  is  not  weak, 
And  soon  as  seen  a  Portsmouth  face, 
Contestants  eease  to  urge  the  race, 

Awed  into  silence  by  its  cheek. 

And  bright  the  record  that  they  show, 
In  worth  and  manliness  and  "sich;" 
And  every  one  as  we  well  know, 
Succeeds  from  the  first  signal — Go  1 
And  all  are  virtuous  and  rich. 

Xow  "home  again,"  but  oh.  how  changed 
Each  scene,  beneath  the  flight  of  years  ! 
The  old-time  scenery  deranged, 
The  good  old  neighborhoods  estranged — 
Recalled  through  memory  and  tears. 

We  scarce  a  single  rood  retrace, 

— The  schools  and  play  grounds  disappeared — 
We  strive  "Old  Cellar"  to  replace, 
We  miss  the  Great  Rock's  honest  face, 

The  Willows"  that  our  boyhood  cheered. 

"Penhallow's  field"  has  left  no  sign, 
And  structures  rise  o'er  former  sites, 

Where  eager  boyhood  watched  the  shine 

Of  lightning  from  the  cloudy  line, 
O'er  "Christian  Shore"  on  Summer  nights. 

And  where  are  they,  the  loving  ones, 

We  left  behind,  when  forth  we  came? 
Dear,  unambitious,  homebred  "Sons  I" 
They've  had  their  "innings"  and  their"runs" 
'  And  long  ago  closed  up  the  game. 

Yet  here  and  there  a  form  we  meet, 
— Time-honored  relics  of  the  past — 

With  dimming  eyes  and  lagging  feet, 

Who  our  returning  presence  greet, 
Tried,  tree  and  faithful  to  the  last. 

The  capillary  dncts  may  dry, 

The  nerves  by  age  may  be  unstrung 

Passion  no  more  may  fire  the  eye  : — 

But,  though  the  faculties  deny, 
The  heart  will  evermore  be  young. 

I  met  Appollo  here  to-day, 

— As  full  of  genius  as  an  egg, — 
With  music,  art  and  verse  in  play, 
As  actively  HS  when  away 

I  went,  my  destiny  to  beg. 

'Twas  MOSES,  not  of  Horeb  fame, 

But  gentle,  tasteful  Thomas  P., 
Whose  heart  is  lit  with  art's  true  flame, 
— Self-fed,  the  more  to  others'  shame — 

A  martyr  to  the  Graces  three. 


And  here  we  meet  'neath  native  skieg, 
With  soberness  atid  gladness  blent ; 
And  our  old  mother's  kindly  eyes 
Have  looked  to  all  our  small  supplies, 
On  hospitality  in  TENT. 

God  bless  her — bless  us  every  one  ! 

Give  pleasure  unrestricted  power, 
And  every  daughter,  every  son, 
When  care  again  the  field  hnth  won, 

Shall  breathe  a  blessing  on  this  hour. 


50 


The  harp  that  twenty  years  ago 

Made  some  pretence  to  lyric  fire, 
Now  halts  and  slackens  in  its  flow, 
Like  turgid  treacle  running  slow, 
And  is  at  best  a  feeble  lyre. 

Yet  while  its  chords  can  sound  a  strain, 

If  not  BO  musical  and  grand. 
'Twill  true  to  this  sweet  thought  remain 
That  brings  us,  children,  borne  again, 
Beside  our  mother's  knee  to  stand. 

But,  grandest  trait  of  those  who  roam  : 

Their  "hearts  untraTelled"  here  have  rest  ; 
E'en  though  the  hair,  like  ocean  foam, 
Circleth  the  base  of  thought's  high  dome, 
They  ne'er  forget  their  natal  nest. 

The  "lean  and  slippery  pantaloon," 

Who  "pipes  and  whistles,"  minus  teeth, 
Feels  his  whole  heart  with  joy  attune, 
And  all  ths  flres  of  life's  young  Jane 
Glowing  with  ardor  underneath. 

Twixt  farthest  Indus  and  the  Pole, 
Climb  heights,  remote  from  human  tread, 

You'll  find  cut  on  that  lofty  scroll, 

Some  name,  familiar  to  \our  soul, 
Carved  on  the  old  time  Fountain  Head.* 

One  I  remember  years  aback, 

— Friend  and  companion  of  my  youth, — 
"Who  early  WHS  compelled  to  pack, 
Because  police  was  on  his  track, 

For  simple  error  and  untruth. 

I  heard  from  him — sonth,  west  and  east, — 

At  last  as  being  in  Fejee, 
Tatooed  and  feathered,  sheared  and  greased, 

Presiding  o'er  a  local  feast 

Among  the  islands  of  the  sea. 

Another,  too,  of  grotesque  mein, 

Who  mixed  with  os  in  boyhood's  days, 
Lacking  the  lively  "  pistareen," 
Put  out  from  home,  two  days  between, 
And  vanished  from  the  scete  away. 

He  for  awhile  from  sight  was  lc  st, 

When  an  exploring  sailor  man 
Saw  him  cross-legged,  upon  a  post, 
The  admiration  of  a  host — 

A  heathen  god  in  Hindostan. 

So  when  Bill  Gibson  disappeared, 

— That  ne'er-do-well,  the  neighbors'  teas* — 
For  whom  a  fatal  end  was  feared, 
By  that  contrivance,  looped  and  geared, 

That  settles  grave  delinquencies, — 

After  long  years  had  passed  away, 
A  traveller  beneath  Turkish  skies, 

Saw  clad  in  gorgeous  array, 

With  servants  rich  in  livery  gay, 
A  form  that  filled  him  with  surprise. 

'Twas  Bill,  whom  fate  had  hither  cast, 

That  his  astonished  vision  saw, 
Fanned  l.y  fonr  Sudras  as  he  passed, 
With  money  and  importance  vast, 

A  real  seven-tailed  bashaw. 

So  Portsmouth  girls  in  marriage  hide, 

— Forgotten  or  unknown  their  sphere — 
But  strong  and  true  the  tender  pride 
AVhich  draws  them  to  the  river  side, 
And  here  again  they  re-appear. 


*Portsmouth  Water  Works. 


51 

Ever  to  Portsmouth  instincts  true, 

We  find,  what  time  like  this  imparts, 
That,  like  the  old  '-dame  of  the  shoe,' 
They  duty's  line  have  kept  in  view, 

And  in  their  sphere  reigned  Queens  of  Hearts. 

If  lady'",  or  if  humbler  role 

They're  called  to,  you  may  bet  your  life 
That  in  the  atmosphere  of  soul. 
Where  the  domestic  gods  control, 

No  discount's  asked  for  them  as  wife. 

We  fain  would  kiss  sweet  Mary  Ann, 

As  erst  we  did  in  early  youth,        • 
But  wholly  modify  our  plan 
As  we  behold  THAT  OTHER  MAN 

And  fear  to  risk  our  only  tooth. 

Why  all  don't  marry 'we  might  quiz, 

But  if  for  lack  of  love  or  pelf, 
That  is  th»ir  own  especial  "biz  ;'' 
We  only  know  thut  what  is,  is, 

And  each  knows  how  it  is  herself. 

THE  MASTER  OF  CEREMONIES.  I  will  call  upon  our  distinguished  son,  so 
recently  adopted  as  a  son  of  Boston,  HON.  EZRA  A.  STEVENS. 

ADDRESS   OF   HON.    E.    A.    STEVENS 

Mr.  President : — My  voice  has  been  heard  so  often  lately,  and  there  are 
so  many  others  to  speak,  that  I  shall  beg  to  be  excused  in  a  very  few  mo- 
ments. I  want  you  to  understand  one  thing,  that  I  have  been  perfectly 
satisfied  with  the  length  of  the  route,  the  collation,  and  every  tiling  else.  It 
has  often  been  said  that  Portsmouth  is  a  good  place  to  emigrate  from,  but 
in  the  presence  of  my  old  friends  and  schoolmates,  I  want  to  say  a  word 
about  it  as  being  a  good  place  to  live  in.  I  have  tried  both  places,  and  I 
assure  you  that  Portsmouth  is  a  good  place  to  live  in.  I  see  before  rne  the 
venerable  man  who  indorsed  my  first  note.  [Cries — "Name  him."]  Why 
should  I  name  him  ?  Is  there  anybody  here  that  does  not  know  that  it 
was  Ichabod  Goodwin  ?  (Loud  applause.)  And  the  same  act  of  kindness 
that  he  performed  for  me,  he  has  performed  for  many  a  Portsmouth  boy. 

A  gentleman  told  me  a  little  incident,  coming  up  from  the  cars,  which  i 
think  you  ought  to  know.  You  people  who  live  at  home  do  not  begin  to 
know  the  feelings  of  those  who  have  gone  from  home,  nor  how  long  it 
takes  a  Portsmouth  boy  or  girl  to  forget  the  place  of  their  birth.  There  is 
living  in  Boston  a  very  venerable  gentleman,  HON.  WILLIAM  E.  EUSTIS, 
known,  no  doubt,  to  a  great  many  of  the  older  people  here.  He  desired 
very  much  to  come  down  here,  but  he  was  unable  to  come,  by  reason  of  hia 
feeble  health.  He  met  a  son  of  Portsmouth  in  Boston,  and  said,  "  I  want 
you  to  tell  my  Portsmouth  friends,  that  I  wish  very  much  to  be  there,  but 
I  cannot,  on  account  of  my  health  ;  and  I  want  you  to  tell  my  younger 
brothers  that  nobody  knows  how  long  it  takes  to  forget  old  Portsmouth. 
Tell  them  it  takes  more  than  64  years,  for  I  have  been  gone  from  there  o4 
years,  and  I  love  her  still."  (Applause.) 

Now,  I  hope,  sir,  you  will  call  upon  Mr.  ALBERT  T.  SISE,  and  about 
fifty  others,  who  are  waiting  to  speak. 

THE  MASTER  OF  CEREMONIES.  We  want  to  hear  from  CHARLES  L.  WOOD- 
BURY,  one  of  the  distinguished  sons  of  Portsmouth. 

ADDRESS  OF  HON.  CHARLES  LEVI  WOODBURY. 

I  do  not  know  whether  the  sons  of  Portsmouth  will  have  a  chance  to 
hear  my  voice,  for,  judging  from  the  movement  that  is  taking  place  out- 
side, there  is  going  to  be  a  sort  of  vocal  contest  between  the  thunder  and 
me  If  they  will  fetch  on.  the  thunder,  and  limit  it  to  five  minutes,  I  will 
bet  that  I  will  beat  it,  in  honor  of  old  Portsmouth  !  (Laughter.)  The  fact 
of  the  matter  is,  I  feel,  upon  the  Fourth  of  July,  standing  upon  my  native 


52 

soil,  with  the  thunder  growling  around  me,  some  what  as  that  Star-Islander 
felt  in  that  great  gust  last  Fourth  of  July,  when  he  got  outside  of  the  Fort 
light,  on  his  way  home  with  about  two  gallons  inside.  When  he  saw  the 
gust  coming,  he  said,  "  No  Star-Islander  was  ever  known  to  lower  a  sail, 
put  back,  or  start  a  sheet  on  the  Fourth  of  July,  on  account  of  a  storm." 
He  stuck  it  out,  and  with  his  whale  boat  half  full  of  water  arrived  safely 
at  Star- Island,  and  I  hope  I  shall  arrive  safely  at  the  end  of  my  speech,  in 
spite  of  the  thunder.  (Applause.) 

I  had  an  intimation  that  I  was  expected  to  say  something,  and  the  com- 
mittee very  wisely  left  me  .to  take  my  choice  of  topics  ;  but  the  topic  I 
should  first  choose,  my  brother  Fields  has  discoursed  upon  so  fully,  so  pa- 
thetically, and,  I  may  say,  so  morally,  (for  he  intimated  to  the  ladies  that 
he  had  a  wife  at  home,)  that  I  feel  that  there  is  nothing  left  for  me  to  say, 
except  to  caution  them  to  beware  of  that  silvery  tongued  young  man, 
and  to  remind  them  that  I  am  still  a  candidate  for  the  matrimonial  honors 
which  he  has  already  won.  (Great  merriment.) 

I  was  struck  with  the  remarks  of  the  President  of  the  Boston  delegation 
upon  some  historical  subjects  connected  with  the  settlement  of  this  town. 
You  know  that  for  many  years  the  dilettanti  historians  of  Europe  and 
o  various  parts  of  the  United  States  and  of  North  America,  have  been  put- 
tint;  forward  the  claims  of  their  favorite  locations  as  being  the  original 
sites  of  the  first  European  settlers  upon  this  continent.  Spaniards,  French- 
men, Virginians,  Maine-iacs  and  Plymouth-rock-ians,  have  all  come  for- 
ward holding  up  their  different  blarney-stones  for  the  admiration  of  the 
forty-eight  millions  of  people  in  the  United  States  of  America.  (Laugh- 
ter.) But,  gentlemen,  what  are  they  all  compared  with  Portsmouth  ?  (Re- 
newed merriment.)  Why,  their  history  begins  when  Portsmouth  had  al- 
most ceased  to  be  a  civilized  place,  and  took  to  agriculture.  (Loud  laugh- 
ter.) Some  of  them  only  began  to  grow  about  the  time  rum  ceased  to  be 
the  normal  currency  of  this  old  settlement.  (Continued  merriment )  Those 
good  colonial  days,  when  every  workman  took  his  jug  on  Saturday  night 
to  his  employer,  who  filled  it  with  rum,  and  the  man  stopped  at  the  grocery 
store  on  his  way  home,  and  traded  off  his  rum  for  the  necessaries  for  his  wife 
and  children,  and  returned  with  the  empty  jug,  were  just  passing  out  of 
existence,  when  Boston,  and  Salem,  and  such  modern  establishment*,  first 
took  up  the  little  tin  trumpet  and  commenced  to  blow  for  themselves  as 
something  big  from  the  glacial  epoch.  Why  Mr.  President,  that  now  vil- 
lified  but  patriotic  currency  performed  the  heroic  task  of  saving  our 
country  from  the  British  yoke.  What  New  Hampshire  man  does  not  re- 
call the  fact  that  Gov.  Langdon,  our  townsman,  in  that  moment  of  supreme 
doubt  when  the  fortune  of  the  revolution  seemed  failing,  gave  thirty  hoes- 
heads  of  Tobago  rum  to  raise  and  equip  that  army  of  Gen.  Stark  with  which 
the  Hessians  were  beaten  at  Bennington,  routed,  and  Burgoyne's  last 
chance  of  victory  extinguished.  May  we  not  be  excused  under  this  flag  on 
this  day  for  remembering  the  Governor  and  his  Tobago  rum?  (Laughter 
and  applause.)  Now,  Portsmouth  has  not  been  in  the  habit  of  writing  his- 
tory ;  she  has  been  in  the  more  distinguished  habit  of  making  history.  If 
we  wear  strawberry  leaves  upon  our  badges,  it  is  not  that  some  feudal 
king  has  undertaken  to  dignify  us  with  a  title,  but  by  the  divine  right  of 
our  own  birth,  because,  through  the  good  judgment  of  our  parents,  we 
were  born  here  on  old  "  Strawberry  Bank,"  and  have  a  right  to  wear  that 
emblem.  (Applause.)  And  I  tell  you  that  the  record  which  has  been 
given  to  it,  and  the  record  that  these  young  men  about  me  are  writing  up- 
on the  history  of  this  world,  will  be  a  prouder  decoration,  and  give  a  bright- 
er fame  to  those  strawberry  leaves,  in  coming  times,  than  all  the  patents  of 
all  the  kings  that  ever  sat  on  the  British  throne,  from  the  time  of  King 
Canute  down  to  her  ladyship  who  now  holds  power  thi  re.  (Applause.) 

I  thought,  as  our  friend  DR.  PEABODY  was  speaking,  that  the  poetry,  the 
history,  and  the  literature  of  old  Portsmouth,  were  receiving  that  deserved 


53 

and  worthy  commendation  which  belongs  to  its  dignity ;  but  the  bar  was 
not  spoken  of;  the  politicians,  the  statesmen,  I  may  say,  of  old  Portsmouth, 
were  not  spoken  of;  and  yet,  for  two  hundred  years,  we  had  the  exclusive 
control  of  the  statesmanship  of  New  Hampshire,  and  very  good  statesman- 
ship we  showed.  We  do  not  require  now  to  be  reminded  of  those  old  times. 
I  do  not  know  but  a  hundred  Governors,  since  R.  Gorges  first  landed  at 
.  Odiorne's  Point,  where,  as  the  first  Governor  of  all  New  England,  Boston 
and  Plymouth  included,  he  made  his  headquarters  and  administered  the 
oaths  of  office  to  his  councillors,  of  whom  was  the  Governor  of  Plymouth 
colony,  and  that  same  Mr.  Thompson  of  Portsmouth  whom  your  banners 
to-day  honor  as  the  first  settler  of  B  >ston.  All  our  numerous  Governors 
have  been  our  boast  and  our  pride;  your  Honor  [Ex-Governor  Goodwin] 
one  of  the  last  and  one  of  the  most  respected.  (Here  the  Gov.  G.  bowed.) 
Yes,  Sir,  1  know  I.  would  not  come  down  and  stump  against  you,  although 
1  was  of  diii'erent  politics. 

Gov.  GOODWIN.     I  recollect  you  would  not,  and  I  thank  you  for  it. 

MB.  WOODBUKY.     Bat  there  is  a  secret  about  the  practical  preeminence 
of  Portsmouth.     There  is,  you  know,  according  to  Darwin  and  Aga<siz, 
and  other  great  naturalists  and  physiologists,  an  intimate  relation  between 
the  intellect  and  the  stomach,  that  ties  the  two  together  in  a  close  sympa- 
thy, and  good  eating  is  a  part  of  good  thinking.     Now  the  Pilgrims,  who 
landed  at  Plymouth,  discovered  there  the  clam  banks  of  New  England,  and 
they  sustained  their  high  developments  of  Puritan  piety  by  aid  of  the  clarn 
banks  that  you  will  see  any  time  in  Plymouth  harbor.     We  have  to  thank 
the  Pilgrims  for  clams.     But  Portsmouth  stands  back  upon  her  chowder ; 
and  she  not  only  stands  upon  her  chowder,  but  she  points  to  what  her 
chowder  has  done,  and  says,  "Behold  how  I  take  children  and  make  men 
of  them!"    I  took  Daniel  Webster,  when  he  came  down  from  the  mountains 
of   New  Hampshire,  with  the   rudiments  of  education,  gathered  at  Dart- 
mouth College,  and  settled   here  in  Portsmouth  as  a  young  lawyer,  among 
men   who   were   merchants   and   traders,  among  men  wi;0  were  the  ship- 
wrights and  architects   for  the  commerce  of   the  world;   and  here  he  was 
taught   how   to    make   a   chowder  !    He  took  to  it  kindly.     The  chowder 
worked   upon    that  native   intellect,   which  had  the  capaciiy  to  be  some- 
thing in  big  places,  and  we  sent  him  forth  a  giant.     Behold  how  he  towers 
in  history  !  (Loud  applause.)   If  you  claim  for  (Japt.  and  Mrs.  VVebstersome- 
part   of   that   great  eminence,  allow  to  the  Portsmouth  chowder,  and  tuo 
skill  he  acquired  in  chowder  making,  the  credit  for  the  development  and. 
final   culmination  of  the  whole    brightness  and  breadth  of  the  statesman. 
I  recollect,  though  but  a  boy' — not  quite  back  to  those  times,  but  not  tar 
after  tho.se  times, — the  competition  that  existed  for  the  first  prize  in  chow- 
der making.    I  can  recollect  the  way  in  which  my  own  father,  who  dearly  ' 
loved  the  chowder,  up  the  river,  and  down  by  Fishing  Island,  would  take 
his  knife  and  try  a  potato,  to  see  if  the  chowder  was  properly  done.     I 
can  remember  old  Col.  Bartlett,  another  of  your  eminent  lawyers,  how  he, 
too,  delighted   in  the  chowder.      And  that  stalwart  old  merchant,  Major 
Larkin,  whose  chowder  was  expected  to  excel  them  all!    There  was  a  genr 
erous  rivalry    between  the   lawyers   and   merchants  of  Portsmouth — the 
chowder-eating  lawyers,  and  Madeira  drinking  merchants,  astute  lawyers, 
like  Cults  and  Mason,  giving  an  impartial  preference  to  both!    It  was 
the  rich,  racy  old  Madeira  that  the  Sheaies,  the  Langdons,  the  iSullivans, 
the  Whipples  and  the  Mannings  planned  the  great  struggles  of  the  lievo- 
lutionupon,  fought  the  Pvevolution  upon,  and  enjoyed  after  it  was  over. 
They  bad  no  taste  for  your  rain-water  Madeiras.     They  had  no  fondness 
for  claret,  sir.     Their  mighty  souls  went  back   to  the  good  old   "Sercial" 
the  generous  "  South-side,"  on  which  the  Havens,  the  Lymans,  ^herburnes, 
Pierces,  Wentworths,  and  Whipples  had  refreshed  their  weary  souls  on  the 
road  to  wealth ;  and  we  remember  how,  inspired  by  their  example,  some 
of  the  proudest  merchanis  that  were  ever  born  in  Portsmouth,  or   in  her 


54 

neighborhood — the  Marches — emigrated  to  that  classic  island,  and  remain- 
ed there,  devoted  to  the  culture  of  Madeira,  until  their  death  ;  would  that 
we  had  some  of  it  now!  (Laughter  and  applause.) 

But  I  remember  that  there  is  a  five  minutes'  rule.  I  have  talked  time 
and  the  thunder  out,  and  I  am  afraid  I  shall  talk  the  audience  out,  too. 

We  thank  you,  we  emigrants  thank  you,  citizens  of  Portsmouth,  for 
this  kind  invitation  which  has  brought  us  back  again.  Our  hearts  have 
been  with  you  all  the  time.  There  is  something  about  old  Portsmouth 
that  does  tie  itself  to  the  heart,  and  from  which  neither  time,  nor  travel, 
nor  foreign  ways  can  wean  us — we  come  back  ever  and  forever.  You 
planned  this  institution  somehow  amongst  you,  twenty  years  ago ;  you 
have  planted  it  as  one  of  the  institutions  of  the  country,  and  in  the  fu- 
ture, as  in  the  past,  such  celebrations  as  these  will  continue,  and  the  ties 
that  bind  brethren  and  kindred  and  townspeople  together,  those  ties 
which  are  stronger  than  water,  which  are  like  the  ties  of  blood,  and  the 
ties  of  maternal  and  paternal  affection,  will  continue  from  generation  to 
generation,  in  this  great,  new  law  of  humanity,  which  is  the  creed  of  the 
present  age,  brighter,  broader  and  stronger,  in  the  example  that  you  have 
set,  in  extending  to  all  bom  between  Christian  shore,  and  South  End  be- 
tween Gravelly  Ridge,  and  Liberty  Bridge,  and  Sngamore  Creek — an  invi- 
tation to  come  together,  on  this  patriotic  day,  leaving  all  our  little  quar- 
rels behind,  in  a  strong,  heartfelt,  deep,  equal  and  thorough  friendship. 

MB.  ALBEKT  F.  SISE  was  then  called  upon,  and  spoke  as  follows  : 

I  think  the  best  speech  I  can  make  is  to  advise  every  one  to  go  home.  I 
will  say  only  one  or  two  words,  and  then  I  think  it  will  be  Well,  perhaps, 
to  seek  shelter. 

A  good  deal  has  been  said  to-day  about  the  last  celebration,  but  my 
mind  has  looked  forward  to  twenty  years  from  now.  How  will  it  be  then  ? 
And  as  one  of  the  speakers  referred  to  the  next  celebration,  I  thought,  will 
not  all  be  changed  then  ?  Will  not  the  fair  daughters  of  Portsmouth  walk 
in  procession  while  we  men  stand  in  solid  phalanx  and  cheer  them  ? 
(Laughter  and  applause.) 

A  great  deal  has  been  said  in  Boston  about  the  fronts  of  buildings.  I 
have  got  one  idea  down  here  to-day  in  regard  to  the  fronts  of  buildings, 
which  I  think  is  a  very  bright  one,  and  I  will  communicate  it,  and  I  think 
that  is  all  I  can  say.  As  I  passed  by  the  old  Academy,  i  saw  that  they 
had  got  there  a  new  sort  of  front,  and  it  struck  me  that  it  was  one  of  the 
handsomest  I  ever  saw.  And  those  of  you  who  passed  it,  and  saw  tiers  of 
school  girls  stretching  up  to  the  second  story  I  know  will  respond  heartily 
when  I  give  you — "The  Portsmouth  front  for  buildings."  (Applause.) 

The  proceedings  at  the  tent  were  here  brought  rather  abruptly  to  a 
close,  in  consequence  of  the  violent  thunder-ttorm  raging  outside.  The 
addresses  were  agreeably  interspersed  with  appropriate  music  from  the 
three  fine  bands  in  attendance,  and  the  occasion  was  one  long  to  be  re- 
membered by  every  son  and  daughter  of  Portsmouth,  and,  indeed,  by 
every  one  who  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  present. 

THE  VETERAN  OF  THE  REUNION. 

The  oldest  member  of  the  Boston  delegation  of  Sons — and  doubtless  the 
oldest  visitor  in  this  city  on  this  occasion,  was  Mr.  Charles  Tappan,  89 
years  of  age.  He  marched  a  mile  or  more  of  the  route  of  the  procession , 
leaving  it  only  at  the  solicitation  of  friends,  and  afterwards  walked  to  the 
tent  on  Wibird's  Hill.  Mr.  Tappan  was  a  native  of  Northampton,  Mass., 
and  is  the  last  surviving  brother  of  a  large  and  prominent  family,  of  whom 
Mr  Lewis  Tappan,  recently  deceased  in  New  York,  and  Arthur,  the  fa- 
mous reformers,  were  mem&ers.  Mr.  Charles  Tappan  worked  at  the  print- 
ing business  when  young,  in  Worcester,  Mass.,  with  Mr.  Thomas,  a  son  of 
the  famous  Isaiah  Thomas,  who  (the  son)  had  learned  the  trade  in  this  city. 


55 

Mr.  Thomas  in  1806  established  a  book-store  in  Portsmouth  with  Mr. 
Tappan,  under  the  firm  of  Thomas  and  Tappan,  the  latter  being  in  charge. 
Their  store  was  on  the  corner  of  Market  and  Daniel  Streets,  now  occupied 
by  Mr.  Wm.  B.  Lowd.  Their  beautiful  gilt  script  sign  on  black  ground, 
painted  in  Worcester,  in  1806,  has  been  well  preserved  in  the  attic  of  John 
W.  and  Joseph  H.  Foster,  their  successors,  to  this  day,  and  is  still  pointed 
at  with  admiration  by  Mr.  Tappan  as  an  elegant  specimen  of  sign  paint- 
ing. It  was  dated  1806,  and  re-raised  on  pretty  nearly  its  original  site, 
during  the  late  celebration,  and  formed  one  of  the  most  interesting  decora- 
tions of  the  times.  Mr.  Tappan  was  a  resident  of  Portsmouth,  for  many 
years,  and  published  several  large  volumes  here,  with  his  other  business. 

The  following  letter  and  accompanying  poem  was  received  too  late  to  be 
read  at  the  tent,  and  we  therefore  give  it  place  here. 

TRENTON  COTTAGE,  NEW  JERSEY,  July  2d,  1873. 
His  EXCELLENCY  ICHABOD  GOODWIN, 

Ex-Gov  of  New  Hampshire  : 

My  esteemed  Friend,  I  doubt,not,  in  this  velocipede  and  postal  card 
age,  this  epistle  from  one  of  your  early  friends  will  be  a  surprise  to  you, 
it'  not  a  disappointment.  The  current  events  of  more  than  half  a  century 
have  made  marked  changes  in  our  situation,  but  I  trust  not  in  our  feel- 
ings. Whilst  our  friend  Mr.  Sarnl.  Lord  and  others  have  gone  before  us, 
we  still  live  and  like  Mr.  Webster  seem  to  want  to  learn  how  to  die.  For 
myself  I  am  still  vigourous,  and  although  very  old,  with  sight  and  hear- 
ing impaired,  and  too  cumbersome  to  travel  far  without  a  helper  to  guide 
mf,  yet  I  am  comparatively  well,  cheerful  and  grateful.  The  fairest  flow- 
ers they  say  fade  soonest.  The  Scotch  daisy  (our  white  weed)  never  dies, 
according  to  the  poet  Montgomery.  Is  not  New-Hampshire  the  Scot- 
land of  this  country.  I  wish  we  had  some  B,epublican  baronet,  a  minstrel 
who  like  Sir  Walter  Scott  could  do  justice  to  your  great  celebration  on 
the  4th  instant. 

By  the  way,  I  had  like  to  have  forgotten  this,  as  I  was  myself  a  for- 
gotten son  of  my  native  state.  But,  with  your  Excellency's  permission, 
I  will  enclose  you  a  few  verses  hastily  written,  which  may  'answer  some 
purpose  at  the  eleventh  hour  of  your  day's  work.  You  and  your  friends 
must  remember,  however,  they  are  written  by  one  who  is  nearing  his  87th 
year,  who  was  free  born  before  any  one  of  the  National  or  State  Consti- 
tutions were  matured  and  although  somewhat  known  in  New  Jersey,  has 
been  too  long  an  absentee  from  his  native  town  to  know  much  about  it. 
But  here  an  •  old  Federalist  of  the  Washington  School  unabridged,  I  try 
to  keep  the  fires  in  history  still  burning  and  whilst  respecting  all  true  . 
patriots  of  whatever  stripe  and  trying  to  forget  and  forgive  those  who 
maligned  the  Saviour  of  our  Country  and  other  true  patriots  in  the  olden 
time,  I  shall  be  one  of  the  old  guard,  who  can  die  but  will  never  suren- 
der  to  the  enemy. 

And  now,  my  dear  old  friend,  make  what  use  of  this  letter  and  its  en- 
closed offering  you  think  proper,  and  believe  me  ever, 

With  sincere  respect, 
Yours  truly, 

C.  C.  HAVEN. 

THE  OLD  GRANITE  STATE. 

SONG.    (Tune,  "  Anacreon  in  Heaven.") 

For  the  Celebration  at  Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire,  of  the  first  Settlement  of  tho  Colony 
there,  and  of  the  Anniversary  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  of  the  United  States  iu 
connection  therewith,  July  4,  1873. 

By  C.  C.  HAVEN,  aged  86  years. 

When  the  Sun's  orient  light  o'er  the  Atlantic  sea  beamed. 
Ere  Aurora  hath  scatter'd  the  chill  mists  of  the  morn — 


56 

And  on  Washington's  Mount  his  beacon  rays  gleamed, 
The  young  Sons  of  Portsmouth  then  welcomed  the  dawn. 

'Tis  their  State's  festive  morn, 

And  where  Freedom  was  born  ! 

And  gay  flags  wave  triumphant,  in  the  Union's  cause  worn, 
CHORUS. 

And  as  long  as  her  mountains  greet  her  sons  on  the  sea, 

Let  the  Granite  State  prosper  and  our  country  be  free  ! 

Persevering  old  Time,  with  his  grey  locks  behind, 
Though  still  fresh  in  his  fore-front  and  up  with  the  season, 
Owns  the  like  of  this  greeting  is  not  easy  to  find, 
'Tis  the  feast  of  the  soul  and  the  triumph  of  reason. 

From  all  parts  of  the  land, 

Here  the  brotherhood  stand, 

Whilst  past,  present  and  future  unite  hand  in  hand. 
CHORUS. 

Here  guests  from  the  mountain  and  ocean  we  see, 

Where  the  Granite  State  smiles  and  the  country  is  free  ! 

When  Piscataqua's  stream  was  explored  by  our  sires, 

O'er  whose  deep,  rapid  current  few  mortals  have  trod, 

Where  the  fierce  savage  prowl'd,  with  his  war  whoop  and  fires, 

There  now  stand  Christian  temples  free  to  worship  the  true  God. 

And  where  Strawberry  Bank  stood, 

Once  embosomed  with  wood, 

Happy  "  summer  guests"  cluster,  by  sea  breezes  wooed. 
CHORUS. 

When  the  White  hills  and  blue  Ocean  each  other  can  see, 

There  the  Granite  State  smiles  and  our  country  is  free  ! 

Let  the  fame  of  New  Hampshire  still  be  echoed  in  story, 
Though  she  boasts  not  of  lands  or  mines  of  pure  gold, 
Nor  of  millionaire  Rings  ambitious  of  glory, 
Nor  of  Tammany  swindlers,  to  be  bought  and  be  sold  ; 

But  in  deeds  of  true  worth. 

From  the  time  of  her  birth, 

She  yields  up  her  prestige  to  no  State  on  the  earth. 
CHORUS. 

Let  her  fame  then  extend  o'er  the  land  and  the  ?ea, 

Whilst  her  State  shall  be  prospered  and  our  country  be  free  ! 

Of  Mason  and  Dudley  and  the  Wentworths'  proud  reign, 
Of  the  patriots  who  fought  and  secured  freedom's  cause, 
Of  our  country's  late  heroes  who  its  life  did  sustain, 
Of  our  statesmen  and  Webster,  foremost  friend  of  our  laws, 

Any  nation  might  boast ! — 

But  we'll  end  with  a  toast; 

Let  her  sons  match  those  sires  who  have  thus  far  done  most. 
CHORUS. 

And  as  long  as  our  empire  unites  sea  to  sea, 

May  the  Granite  State  prosper  and  our  people  be  free  ! 

TRENTON,  New  Jersey,  July,  1873. 

The  following  is  an  abstract  of  remarks  from  Dr.  Joseph  Cheever  of 
Boston,  who,  in  common  with  others,  was  prevented  from  speaking  in 
consequence  of  the  abrupt  termination  of  the  meeting  on  account  of  the 
shower. 

"In  meeting  with  you  on  this  interesting  occasion,  the  mind  reverts  back, 
reviving  with  tender  and  soul  subduing  influence,  the  memory  of  past 
scenes  of  pleasure  which  open  before  us  and  quickening  the  highest  emo- 
tions of  the  soul. 

Your  lofty  trees,  adjacent  groves,  and  running  streams,  that  have  wit- 
nessed the  sporting  and  pleasures  of  our  youthful  days,  rise  before  the 
imagination,  arrayed  in  all  their  beauty  and  grandeur. 

We  love  to  gaze  upon  and  drink  in  from  the  many  beauties  of  nature 
around  us,  to  inhale  the  sweet  odors  and  gentle  zephyrs  that  bring  health 
upon  their  wings ;  be  where  we  may  ;  but  none  of  them  equals  the  charms 
and  enchantments  of  our  native  home. 


57 

The  music  of  nature,  in  her  myriad  voices  that  sound  so  sweetly  at 
all  times,  makes  a  more  lovely  peal  to  me,  while  in  old  Portsmouth,  than 
at  any  other  spot  upon  which  I  ever  moved. 

And  as  I  bring  to  mind  some  of  the  interesting  reminisences  of  our  an- 
cient town,  events  that  have  been  resurrected  and  brought  to  light  by 
that  truthful  and  persevering  Brewster,  who  rambled  about  Portsmouth, 
gleaning  the  cream  of  its  past  history  which  is  now  so  richly  presented 
before  us; — whose  pure  spirit  has  since  passed  on  for  infinite  uses,  and 
eternal  benefits;  I  say,  when  I  think  of  the  events  and  ponder  over  those 
books  of  books,  the  "Rambles  about  Portsmouth"  they  have  so  intensified 
my  love  for  native  home,  that  my  highest  hopes  now  are  that  I  may  close 
my  days  near  the  shadow  of  its  trees,  or  upon  the  banks  of  its  running 
streams  that  I  love  so  well. 

For  a  sentiment  I  will  propose, — 

Our  native  town,  the  dear  old  mother  of  us  all,  within  whose  bosom  re- 
pose the  slumbering  ashes  of  loved  ones  gone  before,  for  her  will  my 
breast  glow  with  emotion  while  the  heart  is  quickened  with  life. 

The  following  sentiment  was  by  Dr.  John  Cheever,  of  Charlestown,  Mass. 

The  Home  of  our  Childhood,  sanctified  by  the  hallowed  influence  of 
our  mothers ;  may  the  memory  of  their  enduring  virtues  be  forever  en- 
shrined within  our  heart's  tenderest  and  holiest  affections. 

REGATTA. 

Regardless  of  the  threatening  weather  thousands  of  spectators  gathered 
upon  every  available  spot  to  witness  the  Eegatta.  Long  before  the  start- 
ing of  the  boats  the  rain  descended  and  a  dense  fog  prevailed  which  hid 
everything  from  view  and  many  of  the  contestants  lost  their  reckoning  in 
consequence.  Now  and  then  the  gloomy  canopy  would  be  lifted,  reveal- 
ing the  crews  in  their  white  shirts  anxious  to  hear  the  signal  for  them  to 
take  their  positions.  It  was  useless  to  think  of  a  postponement,  for  that 
would  be  the  end  of  the  regatta,  so  the  boom  of  the  cannon  was  heard  even 
above  the  furious  onslaughts  of  heaven's  artillery. 

Before  the  races  were  ended,  however,  the  elements  exhausted  them- 
selves, the  sun  came  out,  and  cast  a  glorious  halo  of  colors  on  the  sky  and 
sea,  forming  a  grand  transformation  scene.  Below  we  give  the  official  re- 
sult of  the  races: — In  the  12-oared  race  "Uncle  Abe"  was  withdrawn  in  a 
leaky  condition.  The  "  Edith  "  and  "  Joe  Hooker"  started  out  in  the  fog 
and  disappeared  from  the  sight  of  Judges  and  spectators.  The  Edith  had 
the  advantage  of  an  eddy  and  turned  the  beacon  first.  On  the  race  home- 
ward the  Hooker  overhauled  and  passed  the  Edith,  winning  the  first  prize 
of  $40  in  10  minutes  and  50  seconds,  the  Edith  being  five  seconds  be- 
hind. 

By  this  time,  a  heavy  thunder  storm  set  in,  but  the  10-oared  boats  Wy- 
oming and  infant  Sculpin  came  into  line  and  had  a  good  start.  The  Wy- 
oming was  the  winner  in  12  minutes  and  thirty-seven  seconds,  the  Infant 
being  five  seconds  later.  Prize  $40. 

In  the  naval  race,  three  boats  started.  The  Commodore's  barge  came  in 
first  in  12.50,  but  was  ruled  out  for  not  pulling  over  the  course  as  directed. 
The  Plymouth's  gig  was  declared  the  winner  in  13.20.  Purse  $40.  This 
race  was  the  only  one  seen  by  the  spectators  or  judges.  The  tub  race  was 
finally  abandoned,  owing  to  the  state  of  the  weather.  The  scull  race  was 
also  abandoned  because  of  the  failure  of  the  boats  to  come  to  time.  The 
judges  were  Capt.  Thomas  H.  Eastman,  Assistant  Constructor  Philip  Hich- 
born,  John  Dame  and  Timothy  Dame,  the  two  first  being  stationed  on  the 
judges'  stand  off  Concord  railroad  wharf,  and  the  latter  on  the  stone  bea- 
con near  Pierce'e  Island.  Much  credit  is  due  Messrs.  Dow,  Locke  and 
Norton  for  the  amount  of  labor  they  performed  to  perfect  this  part  of  the 
programme. 


58 
FIREWORKS. 

Owing  to  the  storm  on  the  previous  afternoon  the  display  of  fireworks 
was  postponed  until  Saturday  night,  w'ien  they  were  let  off  on  Market 
Square  before  a  crowd  of  people  estimated  at  about  seven  thousand.  The 
pyrotechnics  did  not  give  out  the  glory  usual  in  such  exhibitions,  still  the 
crowd  applauded  every  piece.  The  con  luding  work  was  composed  of  col- 
ored fires,  enclosing  scroll-work  in  which  was  the  sentence,  "Welcome,  Sons 
and  Daughters  of  Portsmouth" — the  whole  forming  a  brilliant  spectacle. 
It  was  ten  o'clock  before  the  fireworks  were  finished,  and  even  then  the 
assemblage  seemed  loth  to  retire  from  the  Square,  until  it  was  learned  that 
the  remaining  two  hours  would  be  given  to  a 

SERENADE   TO   CUE   VISITORS. 

For  this  occasion  the  Marine  Band  was  engaged,  and  proceeding  to  the 
Rockingham  House  it  was  found  to  be  brilliantly  lighted  by  clunese  lan- 
terns. These  with  the  other  elaborate  decorations  formed  a  grand  scene. 
The  crowd  in  front  of  this  fine  hotel  seemed  to  increase  as  the  hours  neared 
midnight,  and  the  repeated  applause  they  gave  showed  that  the  music  of 
the  U.  S.  Marine  Band,  was  of  a  superior  order,  and  rendered  in  good 
taste. 

THE  HOME  COMING. 

Rev.  Carlos  Martyn  preached  an  appropriate  sermon,  Sabbath  morn- 
ing, June  29th,  in  the  North  Church,  and  in  the  afternoon  in  the  Metho- 
dist Church,  to  large  audiences,  under  the  above  caption,  from  Gen.  XLIII. 
16  ;  "  Bring  these  men  home."  We  give  below  the  first  half  of  the  dis- 
course, which  will  be  found  of  general  interest.  Mr.  M.  said  :  Joseph's 
brethren,  sore  pressed  by  famine,  had  come  down  from  Canaan  to  buy 
corn  in  Egypt.  Benjamin  was  with  them  as,  now  for  the  second  time, 
they  stood  in  the  presence  of  that  brother  from  whom  they  had  parted 
years  before.  With  a  full  heart  and  a  wet  eye,  Joseph  turned  to  the 
ruler  of  his  house  and  said  :  "  Bring  these  men  home.  " 

Now,  for  weeks,  friends,  we  have  been  uttering  similar  words  here  in 
Portsmouth.  Remembering  the  dear  ones  who  long  ago  left  our  unfor- 
gotten  and  unforgeiting  roofs,  we  have  said:  "  Bring  these  men  home." 
Some  have  corne.  Others  will  come  this  week.  And  so,  taking  a  hint 
from  the  approaching  Jubilee,  I  will  speak  to  you  to-day  of  the  home- 
coming of  next  Friday. 

The  words  of  the  text  are  the  motto  of  the  hour,  "  Bring  these  men 
home, "  You  remember  the  cordial  and  wide-spread  response  which 
met  this  suggestion,  when,  months  ago,  it  voiced  itself.  We  have  all 
marked  from  day  to  day  the  growth  of  the  project.  The  notices  in  the 
outside  press  calling  upon  the  sons  to  organize;  the  meetings  held  as  a 
result ;  our  own  local  preparations,  manifested  in  the  smoothing  of  our 
streets,  in  the  painting  of  our  houses,  in  the  busy  hum  of  nightly  gath- 
ered committees,  in  the  sending  forth  of  mail  bags  stuffed  with  urgent  in- 
vitations to  the  ends  of  the  earth,  in  the  drum  beat  of  drilling  military 
companies — where  is  the  person,  however  deaf  and  dumb  and  blind,  who 
has  not  heard  and  talked  about  and  seen  all  this? 

It  is  now  fifty  years  since  the  first  such  like  celebration  occurred.  In 
1823  there  was  a  somewhat  similar  gathering.  Away  back  there,  when 
Monroe  was  President,  and  the  war  of  1812  was  as  fresh  in  men's  minds 
as  the  war  of  the  rebellion  is  in  ours,  and  when  Winfield  Scott  and  Gen. 
Jackson  were  the  heroes  of  the  hour,  as  Ulysses  Grant  and  Gen.  Sherman 
are  to-day,  and  when  Woodbury  and  Mason  were  the  local  celebrities,  the 
absent  sons  and  daughters  of  Portsmouth  thronged  back  into  these  dear  old 
streets,  with  Daniel  Webster  at  their  head,  to  celebrate  the  two  hundredth 
anniversary  of  the  settlement  of  Strawberry  Bank.  The  memory  of  that 


59 

occasion  abides  with  us  as  an  inspiring  tradition,  although  most  of  the  ac- 
tors in  the  scene  have  gone  "to  their  long  home." 

And  again,  thirty  years  later  in  1853,  there  was  another  homecoming, 
hardly  second  to  that  noted  first  one,  of  which  Mrs.  Partington  was  the 
originator.  And  now  for  the  third  time,  on  the  4th  inst.,  we  are  once 
more  to  enliven  our  steeets  and  gladden  our  hearts  with  the  dear  absen- 
tees. For  the  proclamation  has  gone  forth:  "Bring  these  men  home." 

And  now,  as  aforetime,  the  Sons  and  Daughters  of  Portsmouth  resident 
abroad,  will  come  back  to  a  spot  which  will  amply  repay  a  visit.  We  can 
boast  with  St.  Paul,  that  we  are  "  citizens  of  no  mean  city."  When 
Washington  was  here,  in  1789, — the  very  evening  of  the  18th  century,  he 
made  a  public  address  commencing  in  these  words:  "Fellow  citizens  of 
the  commercial  metropolis  of  New  Hampshire."  Portsmouth  was  not 
very  large  when  it  was  thus  addressed  ;  and  since  then  we  have  only  a 
little  more  than  doubled  our  population.  But  then,  proverbially,  Nature 
does  up  her  choicest  articles  in  small  packages.  We  judge  by  quality, 
not  by  quantity.  Attica  was  small — only  forty-four  miles  long  and 
thirty-four  miles  wide.  But  with  Athens  in  the  midst,  it  lassoed  the  an- 
cient world,  body  and  soul,  to  its  all-conquering  feet,  by  the  strength  of 
its  right  arm  and  the  genius  of  its  culture.  The  Hollanders  first  scooped 
their  country  out  of  mud  and  water,  and  then  standing  on  piles,  calle  i 
modern  commerce  into  being.  England,  aa  Wendell  Phillips  has  re- 
minded us,  with  territory  just  wide  enough  to  keep  its  eastern  and  west- 
ern harbors  apart,  monopolized,  for  centuries,  the  trade  of  the  world,  and 
annexed  continents  only  as  coffers  wherein  to  garner  its  wealth,  'fhere  is 
no  need,  therefore,  that  Portsmouth  should  be  great  in  size  in  order  to  be 
famous  and  influential. 

I  know  of  no  other  locality  which  combines  so  much  both  of  natural 
and  historic  interest.  Where  can  you  find  more  to  attract  the  eye  and 
instruct  the  heart?  Our  natural  advantages  are  unsurpassed.  The  city, 
like  the  ancient  Jerusalem,  is  "  beautiful  for  situation."  Yonder  roils 
the  ocean.  Here  at  our  side  is  the  charming  Piscataqua, — as  our  home 
poet,  Laighton,  has  phrased  it : 

"  Singing  a  song  as  it  flows  along, 

Hushed  by  the  ice-king  never; 
For  he  strives  in  vain  to  clasp  a  chain 

O'er  thy  fetterless  heart,  brave  river  !  " 

The  ocean  and  the  river  form  a  perpetual  board  of  health,  always  in 
session.  They  keep  the  air  pure,  and  barricade  out  of  our  streets  "  the 
pestilence  that  walketh  in  darkness,  and  the  destruction  that  wasteth  at 
noon-day." 

And  then  the  surrounding  country, — how  varied  and  beautiful !  Roadi 
radiating  hence  in  every  direction.Jiard  and  smooth  as  the  floors  of  our 
houses,  lead  away  through  fertile  meadows  carpeted  with  greensward,  and 
figured  with  butter-cups  and  daisies.  Industry  and  plenty  walk  hand  in 
hand  in  the  foreground,  while  misty  mountains  form  the  background  of 
the  landscape. 

Place  one  point  of  a  pair  of  compasses  here  on  Market  Square  and 
sweep  the  other  point  around  a  circuit  of  fifteen  miles,  and  what  a  wealth 
of  scenery  is  taken  in.  The  spindles  of  Newmarket  and  the  educational 
advantages  of  delightful  Exeter,  in  the  interior ;  and,  along  the  shore,  or 
near  it,  Hampton  beach,  Little  Boar's  head,  Rye  beach  ;  quaint  New  Cas- 
tle, which  looks  as  though  it  had  sat  to  Goldsmith  when  he  painted  his 
portrait  of  the  "  Deserted  Village;  "  the  romantic  Isles  of  Shoals,  Kittery 
Point,  York  beach, — all  more  or  less  noted  scenes  and  favorite  haunts  of 
the  appreciative  tourist. 

Nor  are  historic  landmarks  lacking.  Yonder,  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  river,  is  York,  once  known  as  the  city  of  Gorgeana,  founded  in  1641, 
in  the  seventeenth  year  of  Charles  the  First,  who  afterwards  lost  his 


60 

head  at  Whitehall,  by  Sir  Ferdinando  Gorges,  a  favorite  of  the  unhappy 
king,  whose  grant  of  incorporation  wa^  the  first  given  to  any  American 
settlement,  btill  nearer  is  Kittery,  full  of  historic  interest,  where  stands 
the  old  Pepperell  mansion,  a  portion  of  which  remains  now  as  it  was  in 
colonial  days,  when  the  baronet  was  its  tenant. 

Crossing  into  Portsmouth,  over  the  straggling  old  bridge,  we  come 
upon  the  old  Stavers  tavern  there  on  Court  Street.  Just  off  of  Water 
street  is  the  house  where  Washington  tarried.  On  the  corner  of  Wash- 
ington and  Pleasant  streets,  still  stands  the  old  house  where  for  many 
years  in  the  last  century,  the  New  Hampshire  Gazette  was  edited  and 
printed,  the  first  newspaper  in  tne  S.ate,  and  now  the  oldest  paper  in 
this  country.  At  the  west  end  is  Frenchman's  Lane,  with  its  tragic  asso- 
ciation. Still  further  west  is  Breakfast  Hill,  the  scene  of  an  Indian  con- 
flict. Here  at  the  gateway  of  the  river,  the  old  fort  still  mounts  guard, 
and  acts  the  sentinel  as  it  did  in  the  old  French  war, — a  time-worn  vet- 
tran  in  the  service,  and  fitly  garrisoned  by  the  oldest  soldier  on  Uncle 
Sam's  muster  roll.  Out  towards  Odiorne's  Point,  the  spot  where  the  first 
settlers  landed  in  1623,  is  the  famous  home  of  the  sometime  Governor  ot 
the  Province,  the  Wentworth  house,  which  Longfellow  has  daintily 
described  : 

"  A  pleasant  mansion,  an  abode 

Near  and  yet  hidden  from  the  great  highroad, 

Sequestered  among  trees,  a  noble  pile, 

Baronial  and  colonial  in  its  style. 

Uables  and  dormer  windows  everywhere, 

And  stacks  of  chimneys  rising  high  in  air, — 

Pandsean  pipes  on  which  all  winds  that  blew 

Made  mournful  music  the  whole  winter  through. 

\Vitliin  unnumbered  splendors  met  the  eye, 

Panels,  and  floors  ot  oak,  and  tapestry ; 

Carved  chimney-pieces  where  on  brazen  dogs 

Revelled  and  roared  the  Christmas  fire  of  logs. 

Doors  opening  into  darkness  unawares, 

Mysterious  passages  and  flights  of  stairs, 

And  on  the  walls  in  heavy  gilded  frames, 

The  ancestral  VVentworths  with  old  Scripture  names." 

Surely,  friends,  if  Portsmouth  is  not  the  hub  of  the  universe,  it  is  the 
hub  of  a  good-sized  wheel.  Irreverent  scoffers,  of  the  Young  America  school, 
speak  of  it  as  a  dead-alive  place.  This  is  a  gross  libel.  I  know  of  no 
other  city  of  its  size  which  is  the  centre  of  a  more  flourishing  and  diversi- 
fied trade,  and  where  the  merchants  and  work  people  are  more  intelligent 
and  generally  well-to-do.  Here  is  a  United  States  Navy  Yard.  Here  are 
two  daily  and  three  weekly  newspapers.  Commercial  interests,  banking 
interests,  railroad  interests,  manufacturing  interests,  religious  interests, 
converge  here.  Upon  this  hub  turns  the  wheel  of  an  extensive  outside 
district.  Truly,  it  would  be  well  for  the  country  if  more  of  its  cities  were 
dead-alive  in  the  same  healthy,  active,  progressive  sense.  We  are  not  pre- 
sumptous  therefore,  when,  looking  over  the  union  to  find  our  absentees,  we 
say  :  "  Bring  these  men  home." 

And  home  they  are  coming,  to  renew  their  youth  and  to  re-acquaint 
themselves  with  the  scenes  of  "  Auld  Lang  Syne."  But  more  attractive  to 
them  than  beautiful  landscapes  or  historic  localities,  or  the  haunts  of  trade, 
will  be  the  old  time  residence,  and  the  family  mansion.  1  seem  even  now 
to  hear  them  say,  Here  is  the  same  old  house.  This  is  the  room  in  which 
my  cradle  was  rocked.  In  that  apartment  I  was  married,  ten,  twenty, 
thirty  years  ago.  On  that  door-sill  I  used  to  sit  and  sing  when  a  little 
child  How  often  have  I  swung  there  on  the  gate.  Up  here  under  the 
roof  I  used  to  lie  and  listen  to  the  foot-fall  of  the  rain  There  is  the  brook 
I  waded  in.  Yonder  is  the  orchard  with  the  dear  old  gnarly  trees.  Away 
there  lie  the  woods  where  I  went  nutting  in  the  autumn,  and  where,  in 
the  spring  time  I  sought  the  wild  mayflowers.  Everywhere,  everywhere 
the  landscape  is  suggestive  and  memory-ful. 


61 

Oh,  the  joy  of  the  reunion  !  oh,  the  happiness  of  the  hours  when,  back 
from  that  oven,  called  Philadelphia,  back  from  that  furnace  called  New 
York,  back  from  pent-up  Boston,  the  Sons  and  daughters  go  rollicking 
over  the  house,  and  thumb  out  the  long  silent  notes,  from  the  astonished 
old  piano,  and  invade  attic  precincts  sacred  to  the  bat,  and  ransack  out  the 
family  relics,  and  forage  in  the  pantry,  laughing  and  crying  by  hysterical 
turns  to  find  themselves  at  home  once  more! 

But  alas,  what  changes  time  has  made.  Alack,  how  many  whom  our 
longing  eyes  would  gladly  see  and  our  aching  hearts  would  rejoice  to  meet, 
are  beyond  our  greeting  and  caresses.  How  sad  the  festival  for  those  poor 
parents  whose  children  cannot  be  with  them  on  that  day.  How  woeful 
the  case  of  those  whose  home-coming  shall  find  no  father's  welcome  and  no 
mother's  kiss  awaiting  them. 

And  ah  !  how  soon  it  will  all  be  over.  A  day  or  two  of  musing  or  re- 
joicing. A  few  brief  hours  of  reunion,  and  then  "Good-bye  and  God  blesa 
you  ! "  spoken  at  the  door,  uttered  at  the  car  window,  said  brokenly, 
tearfully  at  the  steamboat  wharf.  Soon,  nothing  will  be  left  of  the  home- 
coming of  1873  but  a  memory.  This  like  the  former  reunion,  will  fade 
into  a  tradition.  "  For  the  fashion  of  this  world  passeth  away." 

Mr.  Martyn  then  went  on  to  speak  of  this  home-coming  as  a  type  of 
that  eternal  reunion  which  awaits  the  children  of  our  heavenly  father. 

On  the  following  Sabbath,  Rev.  Mr.  Martyn  delivered  another  fine  dis- 
course on  the  Reunion,  from  the  text  "  Bless  the  Lord,  0  my  soul,  and 
forget  not  all  his  benefits."  Rev.  Dr.  Lamson  of  Brookline,  who  occupied 
the  pulpit  at  the  Middle  Street  church  in  the  forenoon,  preached  an  elo- 
quent discourse  on  "  Our  Father's  house."  Other  city  pastors  made  allu- 
sions to  our  jubilee. 


62 


HIGH  SCHOOL  REUNION. 

Tbe  reunion  of  the  graduates  and  members  of  the  High  Schools  of  this 
city  at  the  tent,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  5th,  was  a  complete  success.  The 
long  procession  of  lady  and  gentlemen  graduates,  the  complete  arrange- 
ments at  the  tent,  together  with  the  varied  literary  and  musical  entertain- 
ments, combined  to  make  the  reunion  one  of  the  most  interesting  and  pleas- 
ing features  of  the  celebration. 

A  brief  sketch  of  the  origin  of  the  High  School  Association,  may  not 
prove  uninteresting.  In  answer  to  a  call  made  in  February,  1870,  eleven 
of  the  members  of  the  class  which  graduated  from  the  Boys'  High  School  in 
1861  assembled  at  the  residence  of  one  of  the  members  and  formed  a  class 
association.  C.  A.  Hazlett  was  elected  President,  C.  0.  Walker,  Vice 
President,  and  Merrill  Spalding,  Secretary.  The  Association  was  formed 
for  social  and  literary  improvement  and  to  perpetuate  the  acquaintances 
and  friendships  made  while  at  school.  It  was  also  the  intention  to  inter- 
est the  members  of  other  classes  and  whenever  the  opportunity  presented  to 
hold  a  reunion  of  the  graduates  of  the  High  Schools.  Each  year  the  class 
had  a  river  excursion  and  picnic,  and  at  the  annuil  meetings  and  sup- 
pers the  class  was  entertained  with  speeches  and  histories  by  the  mem- 
bers, and  original  poems  by  one  of  their  teachers. 

In  June  last,  Rev.  E.  A.  Rand  of  South  Boston  wrote  to  the  teachers 
of  the  High  Schools,  urging  them  to  hold  a  reunion  in  July.  Mr.  Lewis 
E.  Smith,  the  principal  of  tne  Boys'  High  School,  left  the  arrangements 
principally  with  the  members  of  the  class  of  '64  Association  in  which  he 
had  always  taken  a  deep  and  prominent  interest.  The  Class  at  once  pro- 
ceeded to  form  an  A.-sociation  of  the  members  and  graduates  of  the  Boys' 
High  School  and  elected  C.  A.  Hazlett,  Chairman,  and  Arthur  W.  Walker, 
Secretary. 

At  the  same  time,  Mr  Aurin  M.  Payson,  Principal  of  the  Girls'  High 
School  formed  an  association  of  the  members  and  graduates  of  that  school 
and  was  chosen  Pre?ident  of  it. 

Each  association  completed  its  organization  unaware  of  the  movement 
on  the  part  of  the  other,  but  as  soon  as  acquainted  with  the  fact  a  lively 
courtship  was  commenced  and  even  the  young  ladies  were  not  averse  to 
showing  their  eagerness  in  joining  hands  and  fortunes  with  the  other  or- 
ganization. The  following  marriage  notice  in  the  papers  at  this  time  indi- 
cate that  the  courtship  was  short  and  successful. 

"Mercantile  Hall  was  filled  again  on  Wednesday  evening,  June  18th, 
with  the  members  and  graduates  of  the  High  Schools.  The  following  list 
of  officers  was  chosen  : 

President,  W.  H.  Y.  Hackett. 

Vice- Presidents,  James  T.  Fields,  Boston  ;  S.  J.  Nowell,  New  York  ; 
Rev.  E.  A.  Rand,  So.  Boston  ;  Mrs.  C.  C.  Akerman,  Portsmouth  ;  Miss 
Virginia  Bufford,  Portsmouth. 

Rec.  Secretary,  Willis  G.  Myers. 

Cor.  Secretaries,  Miss  Mary  W.  Harratt,  Miss  Louise  B.  Rand. 

Directors,  C.  A.  Hazlett,  C.  0.  Walker,  Geo.  W.  Marston,  Miss  Lizzie  S. 
Pray,  Miss  Georgie  Hill." 

The  President  obtained  permission  of  the  Citizen's  General  Committee 
to  hold  the  reunion  in  the  large  tent.  The  whole  management  was  placed 
in  the  hands  of  the  Directors  who  worked  early  and  late  during  the  limited 
time  allowed  them  to  perfect  the  arrangements.  They  appointed  Geo.  W. 
Mnrston,  Master  of  Ceremonies  at  the  tent;  C.  A.  Hazletl,  Chief  Mar- 
shal ;  Dr.  James  A.  Spalding,  Floor  Manager  ;  and  L.  P.  Broughton,  Chief 


63 

Usher.  The  finance  committee,  consisting  of  Mr.  Willie  R.  Foster,  Mr. 
Geo.  E.  Hodgdon,  Miss  Edith  Gerrish,  and  Miss  Mary  Haley,  secured  the 
necessary  funds  by  subscription. 

The  procession  was  formed  on  the  Parade  ground  and  marched  promptly 
at  2.30,  in  the  following  order: 

Platoon  of  Police. 

U.  S.  Marine  Band. 

C.  A.  Hazlett,  Chief  Marshal ;  Clarence  0.  Walker,  Albert  H.  Sides, 
Floron  Barri  and  Moses  H.  Call,  Aids. 

Present  members  of  Girls'  High  School,  A.  M.  Payson,  Principal. 

Present  members  of  Boys'  High  School,  L.  E.  Smith,  Principal,  Stephen 
W.  Clark,  Ass't.  Hon.  W.  H.  Y.  Hackett,  James  T.  Fields,  Esq.,  Geo.  W. 
Marston,  Esq.,  and  other  officers  of  the  Association. 

Class  of  '64  Boys'  High  School,  Taylor  Goodrich,  President. 

Graduates  and  former  members  residing  in  Boston. 
"  "  "  New  York. 

"  "  "  other  cities. 

At  Richard's  Avenue  the  procession  was  halted  at  the  request  of  a  num- 
ber of  ladies  who  graduated  from  the  "First  Female  School  of  Portsmouth" 
about  the  year  1830.  A  delegation  of  thirty-five  ladies  joined  the  pro- 
cession with  them  and  marched  to  the  tent  where  seats  had  been  reserved 
for  them. 

The  assembly  was  called  to  order  in  the  tent,  soon  after  three  o'clock,  by 
the  President  of  the  High  School  association,  Hon.  W.  H.  Y.  HACKETT, 
and  the  Divine  benediction  was  invoked  by  Rev.  Win.  G.  NOWELL,  of 
Maiden. 

Graduates  of  the  Portsmouth  High  Schools, — Sons  and  Daughters  of  Ports- 
mouth,— In  behalf  of  the  teachers,  pupils  and  graduates  of  our  High 
Schools,  who  have  remained  at  the  old  homestead,  I  welcome  you  to  the 
home  of  your  childhood,  to  the  scenes  and  associations  of  your  school 
days, — to  these  streets,  so  often  enlivened  by  your  walk  and  voice — to  this 
town,  so  full  of  pleasant  memories, — to  hearts  throbbing  with  schoolmate 
recollections  and  affections. 

As  you  walk  these  streets,  so  familiar  and  I  hope  so  dear,  you  will  pass 
no  dwelling  by  whose  fireside  your  progress  and  success  in  life  have  not 
been  discussed  and  enjoyed  ;  no  home  from  which  cordial  welcomes,  like 
the  electric  current  over  the  wires,  have  not  been  passing  to  all  portions  of 
this  country.  For  what  state,  what  city,  what  town,  is  there  in  all  this 
broad  land,  which  has  not  felt  the  power  of  some  son  or  the  refining 
influence  of  some  daughter  of  Portsmouth  ?  (Applause.) 
„  We  give  you  a  hearty  and  cordial  welcome,  because  you  are  of  our 
household,  and  because  you  have  done  so  much  to  reflect  credit  upon  tiie 
old  homestead.  You  have  enjoyed  and  profited  by  that  system  of  univers- 
al education  planned  and  commenced  oy  our  ancestors  before  they  were 
able  to  provide  comfortable  dwellings  for  their  families  ;  a  system  which 
has  made  New  England  the  source  and  nursery  of  that  culture  and  ex- 
panding influence  which  to-day  are  shaping  the  institutions  and  the 
dest.ny  of  the  North  American  continent. 

Thus  trained  and  thus  fortified,  you  have  gone  from  us  to  new  duties 
and  to  new  homes,  in  which  you  have  done  so  much  to  make  us  proud  as 
well  as  glad  to  see  you.  In  the  learned  professions  in  art,  literature  and 
science,  in  all  the  departments  of  enterprise  and  business,  and  in  all  the 
relations  of  life,  you  have  reflected  honor  upon  yourselves  and  upon  your 
town,  and  your  schoolmates  now  greet  you  with  a  cordial  and  affectionate 
welcome.  (Loud  applause.) 

Music  and  song  by  the  band. 

Mr.  H.  C.  BARNABEE.  I  think  it  will  not  be  considered  out  of  place  if 
I  ask  this  audience  to  give  three  cheers  for  "  Harlow's  Band,"  who,  in  the 


64 

musical  exercises  of  yesterday  and  to-day  have  placed  themselves  in  the 
verv  front  rank  of  musical  exponents. 

This  call  was  vociferously  responded  to  by  "  the  boys,"  and  in  milder 
measure  by  "  the  girls."  The  compliment  was  acknowledged  by  the  band 
with  a  few  strains  of  "  the  Nation's  Anthem" — "  Yankee  Doodle."  Then 
Mr.  Frank  W.  Miller  called  for  three  cheers  for  the  popular  Barnabee,  and 
again  the  tent  rang  with  the  shouts  of  the  strong  voiced  and  enthusiastic 
youth. 

THE  PRESIDENT.  Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  The  object  of  this  organization 
is  the  revival  and  the  preservation  of  school-day  associations  and  sympa- 
thies. When  it  was  determined  that  the  first  public  meeting  of  the  asso- 
ciation should  be  coeval  with  the  pleasant  reunion  we  are  now  enjoying, 
we  immediately  felt  the  want  of  some  one  to  speak  for  us,  and  we  all, 
unanimously,  instinctively  turned  to  that  distinguished  townsman  of  ours, 
who  has  on  so  many  occasions  indicated  his  sympathy  with  Portsmouth 
and  with  its  schools,  who  has  done  so  much  to  widen  and  deepen  the  in- 
fluence of  the  best  authors  of  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States,  and 
who  himself  has  now  become  a  distinguished  author.  You  will  now  have 
the  pleasure  of  hearing  from  Mr.  JAMES  T.  FIELDS,  of  Portsmouth,  tempo- 
rarily sojourning  in  Boston.  (Laughter.) 

Mr.  Fields-,  on  rising,  was  greeted  with  three  hearty  cheers,  and  read 
the  following  poem : 

Do  I  stand  up  and  speak  in  a  dream  ? 

Are  these  the  liwd  scenes  I  once  knew  ? 
Is  that  old  Pisoataqua's  stream. 

Rushing  on  to  its  ocean  of  blue? 

0  visions  that  never  can  fade! 
0  bells  that  will  evermore  ring ! 

0  trees  that  are  never  decayed  ! 

0  birds  that  forever  will  sing  ! 

Ye  voices  that  call  from  the  past — 
Ye  hands  that  stretch  out  from  the  tomb, — 

Ye  dead  lips  that  spoke  to  us  hist — 
\Ve  think  of  you  all  without  gloom  ; 

For  together  we  now  meet  again, 

And  no  bond  of  love  ever  dies, 
The  links  are  unseen,  but  the  chain 

Reaches  down  to  the  heart  from  the  skies. 

Who  tells  us  our  beards  have  turned  gray  ? 

They  are  dyed  with  wild  thyme,  that  is  all; 
They  »re  brown  underneath,  here  to-day, 

And  the  gray  washes  off  at  your  call ! 

Who  says  he's  rheumatic  and  stiff — 

That  his  eyes  are  beginning  to  fail? 
lie  is  shamming  it  all, — in  a  whiff 

He  forgets  to  be  gouty  or  pale  ! 

Who  dares  to  remind  us  of  age ! 
We  are  all  of  us  children  agaiu, — 

1  turn  back  the  volume  a  page, 
And  I  vuw  I  am  only  just  ten ! 

My  satchel  is  slung  on  my  back, — 

1  am  running  according  to  rule, — 
The  Old  South  is  bidding  me  pack, 

Or  I  shall  be  too  lato  for  school. 

There  are  hurrying  feet  on  the  stairs, 

There  are  bright  eyes  that  beam  in  the  sun, 

And  the  master  has  ended  the  prayers, 
And  the  work  of  the  day  has  begun. 


65 


I  am  conning  my  Virgil; — that's  cool ! — 
My  Virgil !  'twas  yours,  my  good  friend,* — 

The  copy  yon  studied  at  school, 
And  afterwards  kept  it  to  lend. 

Ah,  Ctesar,  and  Virgil,  alas  1 
What  ye  gave  me,  how  little  I  find ! 

Ah,  great  Viri  Romas !  ye  pass, 
And  leave  not  a  foot-print  behind. 

When  I  call  up  my  Sallust,  no  voice 

To  my  earnest  entreaty  replies, 
And  Horace,  the  bard  of  my  choice. 

When  I  speak  to  him,  instantly  flies  1 

There  were  days  when  I  lived  with  these  men 
In  yonder  old  room,  full  of  dust ; — 

But  their  speeches,  so  fresh  to  me  then, 
Are  speechless  in  mouths  full  of  rust. 

Geometry !  where  are  the  charms 
That  sages  have  seen  in  your  face  1 

Trigonometry !  great  are  the  harms 
You  conferred  on  a  lad  in  this  place  I 

When  I  ran  my  young  head  in  a  noose, 
'T  was  a  hypothenuse,  I  declare, — 

And  little  could  frustrums  produce 
In  a  brain  that  of  figures  was  bare. 

All  my  angles  were  very  obtuse, 

And  quite  circumscribed  were  my  spheres ; 
My  cosines  were  found  of  no  use, 

And  my  polygons  ended  in  tears. 

My  tangents  flew  off  into  space, 
On  my  solids  no  mortal  could  sup  ; 

My  zones  wore  a  frigid  disgrace, 
And  my  cube-roots  would  never  come  np  1 

Like  a  binomial  bore,  I  was  found 

Unequal,  and  never  could  pass  : 
Young  Treat  thought  me  then,  I'll  be  bound, 

A  small  mathematical  ass. 

For  Sam  had  the  head  for  a  judge, 
And  equations  to  him  were  mere  play  ; 

From  the  benches  he  never  would  budge, 
Till  he  bore  all  the  prizes  away. 

On  this  map  of  the  Past  I  unroll, 

Those  who  taught  us  in  youth  are  enshrined, 
And  I  reverently  trace  on  the  scroll 

The  toil  that  was  earnest  and  kind. 

And  for  all  our  sins,  obstinate  days, 
P»per  pellets,  potato  pop-guns, — 

For  other  most  infamous  ways 
That  were  practiced  in  school  by  the  Sons ; 

For  backslidings,  a  plentiful  store, 

For  follies  of  various  degrees,— 
Ye  long  suffering  masters  of  yore, 

Forgiveness  we  ask  on  our  knees  1 

0  Examinations!   ye  send 

Through  me  now  a  whole  quiver  of  fears, 
And  my  hair  always  stands  up  on  end 

When  my  friend  Mr.  Elwyn  appears ; — 

For  he  made  us  construe  and  scan, 
And  knew  when  we  did  the  thing  wrong, 


*  Turning  to  Hon.  Mr.  Hackett,  the  chairman. 


66 


And  we  deemed  him  the  most  learned  man 
That  Harvard  had  sent  us  along. 

'Twas  an  honor  to  answer  him  right, 
For  his  Greek  and  hig  Latin  ran  pure, 

And  when  a  boy  "got  his  verb"  right, 
Scholar  Elwyn's  endorsement  was  sure. 

And  can  I  forget  in  time's  space, 

Our  friend  through  far  years,  without  guile, 
The  good  Dr.  Burroughs'  face 

That  helped  us  along  with  a  smile? 

When  he  stood  up  and  blessed  the  old  school, 
(I  can  see  him  just  now  full  of  love,) 

We  somehow  felt  sure  'twas  his  rule 
To  bring  blessings  down  from  above. 

And  I  think,  in  these  glad  festal  days 

He  is  not  very  far  from  us  all, 
For  he  taught  cheerful  accents  and  grace, 

And  gave  his  whole  heart  to  Love's  call. 


But  the  moments  are  waning!  'tis  time 

That  I  fold  up  my  leaves  with  "Farewell ;" 
I  came  with  this  budget  of  rhyme, 

As  a  school-boy  responds  to  the  bell : 

You  called  me, — I  sprang  to  my  feet, 

For  I  felt  the  old  fire  of  a  boy: — 
You  called  me, — I  could  not  but  greet 

My  brothers  and  sisters  with  joy. 

Come  Learning,  come  Virtue,  and  Truth, 

And  smile  on  thy  votaries  here ; — 
We  meet  round  the  altar  of  youth, 

And  pledge  us  by  all  that  is  dear; 

By  hopes  that  are  sacred  to  Right, 

By  faith  that  is  anchored  in  Heaven, 
By  those  who  have  passed  from  our  sight, 

By  love  that  no  absence  has  riven, — 

As  brothers  and  sisters  whose  lot 

Was  cast  on  this  beautiful  shore, — 
To  honor  this  blessed  old  spot, 

And  to  cherish  and  stand  by  it  more ; 

To  stand  by  each  other,  while  here, — 

To  rally  around  the  old  scene, — 
To  help  it  along  with  good  cheer, 

And  to  keep  all  its  memories  green. 

Music  by  the  Band. 

Mr.  J.  W.  P.  CARTER.  That  we  not  all  forget  our  mathematics,  our 
Latin,  etc.,  I  move  we  give  three  distinct,  solid,  and  prodigious  cheers  for 
JAMES  T.  FIELDS,  Esq. 

Three  cheers  were  given  in  a  style  corresponding  to  the  requirements  of 
the  call,  after  which  the  President  said : 

My  next  duty  is  to  announce  and  introduce  Mr.  GEO.  W.  MAESTON,  as 
Master  of  Ceremonies  on  this  occasion. 

Mr.  MARSTON.  Before  reading  the  first  sentiment,  I  would  announce, 
that  after  the  close  of  the  speaking,  dancing  will  take  place  in  the  tent,  at 
the  right,  Dr  JAMES  A.  SPAULDING  acting  as  Floor  Manager,  assisted  by 
Messrs.  William  R.  Foster,  George  W.  Bartlett,  D.  Webster  Barnabee, 
Plumer  D.  Norton,  Merrill  E.  Spalding,  John  L.  Salter. 

It  is  evident  that  somebody  thinks  that  crockery  and  High  School  edu- 
cation should  be  mixed  up  together,  for  a  notice  has  been  handed  me  from 
M.  T.  Betton  &  Co.,  which,  although  I  do  not  see  its  application,  I  will 


67 

read:  •  "  A  sale  of  crockery  and  glass  ware  will  take  place  at  the  close  of 
the  dancing."  [Laughter.] 

Now,  please  listen  to  THE  FIRST  REGULAR  SENTIMENT  : — Portsmouth, — 
Her  past,  her  present,  and  her  promise. 

THE  PRESIDENT.  It  is  expected  that  Mr.  ISRAEL  KIMBALL  will  respond 
to  this  sentiment. 

ADDRESS   OF   ISRAEL    KIMBALL. 

Mr.  President,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen. — As  I  was  sitting  one  afternoon,  a 
few  days  before  1  left  the  city  of  Washington,  my  thoughts  recurred  to 
my  old  home  in  Portsmouth,  and  to  the  anticipated  meeting  on  tliis  occa- 
sion, and  I  got  lost  for  a  while  in  a  reverie;  but  coming  out,  I  took  up  my 
pen,  thinking  I  could  write  out  some  of  my  recollections  of  Portsmouth, 
tor  I  am  not  a  native-born  citizen,  but  only  a  citizen  by  adoption, — La 
former  schoolmaster,  and  a  very  poor  one  at  that.  Nevertheless,  I  was 
tolerated  here  in  your  midst  for  eighteen  years.  Since  that  time,  for  elev- 
en years,  I  have  been  one  of  the  greatest  publicans  (I  do  not  say  Repub- 
licans') in  the  country,  and  perhaps  may  be  thought  to  be  one  of  the  great- 
est sinners.  But,  as  I  was  going  to  say,  I  wrote  out  some  few  reminis- 
cences of  Portsmouth,  thinking  that  if  I  was  called  upon  to  say  any  thing, 
I  might  read  from  my  manuscript;  but  I  do  not  believe  I  shall  be  able  to 
do  it  this  afternoon,  for  I  find  that  I  am  laboring  under  a  very  severe 
cold,  and  I  think  my  lungs  would  give  out  before  I  could  proceed  beyond 
a  very  few  pages.  Under  these  circumstances  I  will  call  upon  my  son 
who  was  educated  in  the  High  School,  in  part,  to  read  the  manuscript. 

MR.  GEO.  G.  KIMBALL  read  as  follows : 

Though  silence  on  this  occasion  and  in  this  presence,  after  the  eloquent 
words  to  which  you  have  listened  from  the  gentlemen  who  have  already 
addressed  you,  might  much  better  become  me  than  speech ;  though  I  am 
unable  to  claim  this  as  the  city  of  my  birth,  or  New  Hampshire  as  the 
State  of  my  nativity  ;  though  I  belong  here  only  by  adoption,  and  cannot 
claim  to  be  a  returned  Son,  in  the  same  sense  as  you  apply  the  term  to 
your  sons  who  have  gone  from  you  and  established  for  themselves  homes 
elsewhere; — for  though  I  have  been  absent  from  the  city  now  nearly  eleven 
years,  i  have  all  the  while  maintained  my  home  in  Portsmouth,  and  have 
always  once  a  year  returned  to  spend  with  you  a  few  weeks,  to  enjoy  a 
quiet  rest  after  months  of  hard  toil.  And  always  once,  and  sometimes 
twice  a  year,  if  the  occasion  seemed  to  call  for  it,  I  have  made  a  flying 
visit  to  this  city  of  ray  adoption  to  exercise  the  freeman's  right  of  voting. 
Granting  that  as  a  returned  Son  I  have  no  right  to  be  heard  on  this  occa- 
sion, nevertheless  in  consideration  of  the  fact  that  I  have  travelled  five 
hundred  miles,  making  my  visit  a  month  earlier  than  I  otherwise  would 
have  done,  in  order  that  I  might  be  with  you  on  this  interesting  occasion, 
I  trust  you  will  indulge  me  in  a  brief  speech. 

On  this  250th  anniversary  of  the  first  settlement  of  our  city,  whether  we 
claim  it  as  ours  by  birth,  or  only  by  adoption  ;  on  this  anniversary  of  our 
national  independence,  a  day  which  ought  to  be,  if  it  is  not,  dearer  to 
every  American  citizen  now  than  ever  before,  since  we  have  as  the  result 
of  our  late  war,  an  undivided  country,  and  one  people,  without  a  single 
slave  in  all  the  land  to  hold  up  his  fettered  limbs,  and  to  shake  his  gall- 
ing chains  in  mockery  of  our  boasted  freedom  ;  on  this  day  destined  to 
be  memorable  in  the  annals  of  our  city  for  this  second  general  re-union 
of  her  sons  and  daughters,  when  from  the  north  and  the  south,  from  the 
east  and  from  the  west,  having  left  their  adopted  homes,  left  their  business, 
their  professions,  and  various  occupations,  they  have  come  together  here, 
come  to  old  Portsmouth  with  the  same  spirit,  and,  I  presume,  with  much 
of  the  same  feeling  as  prompted  the  Jews,  the  tribes  of  Israel,  in  the  days 
of  the  Psalmist,  to  go  up  to  Jerusalem,  from  all  the  surrounding  countries,  to 
give  thanks  unto  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  to  pray  for  the  peace  and 


prosperity  of  Jerusalem  ;  on  this  day,  and  on  such  an  occasion  as  this, 
it  is  not  so  difficult  to  speak  as  it  is,  from  the  multitude  of  thoughts  and 
subjects  that  crowd  upon  the  mind,  to  select  those  most  fitting  and  appro- 
priate for  the  occasion,  and  for  the  limited  time  allowed  to  a  single  speak- 
er. Being,  as  I  have  said,  only  an  adopted  son  among  you,  I  must  leave 
it  entirely  to  the  native  born  sons  ana  daughters  to  tell  you  how  dear 
to  the  mind  are  the  scenes  of  their  childhood  as  now  not  recollections, 
but  a  re-inspection  presents  them  to  view.  Pictures  as  vivid  as  those 
presented  in  the  song  of  the  Old  Oaken  Bucket,  have  been  sketched  by 
our  own  native  poets  of  every  famous  spot  in  and  around  Portsmouth. 
So  let  me  say  to  the  returned  son  or  daughter,  who  has  not  time  to  visit 
every  spot  he  loved  so  well  to  visit  in  his  childhood  and  youth,  or,  if  per- 
chance, in  the  march  of  progress  and  the  growth  of  our  city  some  of  the 
old  land  marks  have  disappeared  and  cannot  be  found,  no  matter  how 
diligently  the  search  may  be  made,  purchase,  before  you  leave  the  city, 
the  songs  of  our  native  bards.  And  especially  would  I  recommend  you  to 
purchase  the  poems,  just  published  of  our  suffering,  blind,  sweet  singing 
brother,  Drown,  and  purchase  the  "Rambles  about  Portsmouth,"  by  our  late 
beloved  and  deceased  citizen,  Charles  W.  Brewster,  Esq.,  and  as  often  as 
you  read  therefrom  you  shall  revisit  in  fancy  and  imagination,  aye,  and  in 
sweet  recollection  too,  every  loved  spot  which  in  youth  or  childhood  may 
have  been  dear  to  you. 

Often  does  it  happen  when  the  young  man  leaves  his  home,  leaves  the 
place  of  his  nativity  for  a  sojourn  in  other  lands,  and  returns  after  long 
years  of  absence,  that  he  finds  everything  changed.  The  people  are 
changed  and  the  place  is  changed,  and  he  seeks  in  vain  for  a  look  of  recog- 
nition, or  for  one  familiar  object.  By  a  law  of  our  being  the  people  of 
every  place  must  change. 

Less  than  twenty  years  ago  your  honored  Mayor  was  a  pupil  of  mine 
in  one  of  the  schools  of  this  city,  and  it  gives  me  great  pleasure,  now,  and 
here,  to  say  that  he  was  a  good  boy,  and,  according  to  my  experience  and 
observation,  good  boys  seldom  fail,  if  they  live,  to  make  good  men.  Mayor 
Marvin  was  a  good  boy,  and  by  his  diligence  and  close  application  to  his 
books,  by  his  respect  for  order  and  good  government,  and  oy  his  willing- 
ness to  be  governed,  gave  early  evidence  that  he  possessed  one  of  the  first 
qualifications  requisite  in  him  who  is  called  to  govern  others,  viz.,  ability 
to  govern  himself.  Representing  the  City  in  its  Council,  representing  it  to- 
day in  the  various  committees  of  reception  given  to  her  returned  sons  and 
daughters,  representing  it  in  its  newspaper  presses,  in  the  legal  profession, 
in  almost  every  other  profession,  and  in  its  active  business  interests  are 
men  I  am  proud,  to-day,  to  take  by  the  hand  and  greet  as  former  pupils  of 
mine, — pupils  of  mine  during  the  period  I  had  the  honor  of  being  a  co-labor- 
er with  those  faithful  and  worthy  teachers  whom  you  all  delight  to  remem- 
ber, Harris  and  Nichols  and  Senter  and  Chesley,  all  of  whom  have  passed 
away  since  the  last  re-union,  and  Hoyt,  Demeritt,  Payson  and  Ambrose 
still  living,  not  to  name  the  score  or  more  of  learned  and  faithful  women 
who  labored  and  co-operated  together  to  educate  and  to  train  up  the  then 
rising  generation  in  the  way  they  should  go.  These  pupils  of  ours  are 
the  men  and  women  who  mainly  represent  the  city  to-day  at  home,  and 
many  of  them  are  numbered  among  the  returned  eons  and  daughters  who 
honorably  represent  our  city  among  the  people  where  they  now  dwell, 
and  whose  presence  here  to-day  is  to  me  a  source  of  unbounded  delight. 

The  changes  I  have  spoken  of  in  the  population  and  the  people  of  the  city 
may  render  it  necessary  to  introduce  to  our  people  the  returned  sons  and 
daughters,  for  I  have  to  acknowledge  that  so  changed  have  become  the 
people  during  the  11  years  I  have  been  absent  from  it  that  I  do  not 
now  recognize  one  in  ten  of  the  people  I  meet  on  the  street,  whereas  I  for- 
merly knew  them  all,  at  least,  by  sight. '  But  I  can  assure  our  friends  that 
they  can,  without  danger  of  getting  lost,  and  without  a  guide,  visit  any 


69 

and  every  part  of  the  city  from  Christian  Shore,  to  New  Castle  Bridge,  and 
from  Noble's  Island,  by  the  Creek,  or  by  the1  Pound,  to  the  Plains.  A  few 
of  the  old  land  marks  are  gone,  but  the  city  has  not  spread  itself  much.  A 
few  new  streets  have  been  opened.  But  all  the  thoroughfares  leading 
from  the  city  into  the  country,  and  all  the  old  streets,  and  lanes  of  the  city 
remain  about  as  they  were  30  years  ago,  or  at  laast  as  they  were  fifty 
years  ago. 

In  its  population,  according  to  the  returns  of  the  late  census,  Portsmouth 
ihows  no  increase,  but  on  the  contrary  a  decrease,  within  the  last  twenty 
years,  of  nearly  500  persons.  This  may  seem  strange  to  a  Portsmouth 
born  man  returned  here  to-day  from  the  West,  where  cities  are  born  in  a 
day,  and  grow  with  such  amazing  rapidity ; — cities  with  ten,  twenty,  forty 
and  fifty  thousand  inhabitants,  .where  but  a  few  years  ago  the  native  for- 
ests stood  with  all  their  grandeur,  and  broad  rivers  flowed  onward  toward 
the  ocean  knowing  no  sound  save  the  dashing  of  their  own  waters.  To  our 
friends,  if  any  such  are  here  to-day  from  the  city  of  Chicago,  where  they 
have  seen  an  increase  in  population  during  the  last  20  years  of  from 
30,000,  to  300,000,  or  to  our  friends  from  Brooklyn  and  New  York, 
in  the  former  of  which  city's  population,  during  the  last  twenty  years, 
has  advanced  from  96,000"  to  396,000,  and  in  the  latter  from  500,000 
to  nearly  a  million — or  to  our  friends  from  any  of  the  large  cities  of  the 
Eastern  and  Middle  States,  where  the  census  returns  show  corresponding 
increase.  Or  to  one  who  has  returned  to  his  former  home  in  this  city  af- 
ter a  residence  of  ten  years  in  our  national  Capital,  where  prior  to  the  war 
there  was  a  population  of  less  than  50,000,  but  which  has  to-day  a  popu- 
lation of  130,000 — a  city  then  aptly,  though  derisively  styled  the  city  of 
magnificent  distances,  but  which,  since  the  incubus  of  slavery  has  been 
lifted  from  her  body,  politic  has  leaped  into  the  front  rank  of  interesting 
and  beautiful  cities — a  city  with  broader,  better  graded,  and  better  paved 
streets  and  avenues,  with  public  parks,  gardens  and  fountains  interspersed, 
with  more  area  of  finely  paved  sidewalks,  and  with  a  better  drainage  than 
any  other  city  in  this  country — a  city  with  a  church  for  every  1000  of  its 
inhabitants,  with  its  New  England  system  of  free  schools,  with  new  and 
elegant  school  houses,  rivaling  in  beauty  of  architecture,  and  in  conven- 
ience of  arrangement  the  very  best  school  houses  in  the  land,  with  new 
and  elegant  buildings  both  public  and  private,  going  up  in  every  direction, 
the  results  of  modern  improvement,  and  visible  evidence  of  progress ;  to 
one  accustomed  to  see  these  things  and  to  participate  in  them,  it  may,  it 
probably  does  seem  strange  to  him,  on  his  returning  to  this  his  native 
city,  to  find  her  just  about  the  same  as  she  was  when  he  left,  sitting  like 
an  old  lady  serenely  under  the  shadow  of  her  old  elms  and  maples,  looking 
through  her  gold- bo  wed  spectacles,  contemplating  apparently  the  crow  i 
of  strangers  who  come  annually  at  this  season  of  the  year,  to  eat  some  of 
her  cod  fish  and  chowder,  and  to  bathe  a  little  in  the  ocean  water,  which  at 
every  tide  rise  and  fall  at  her  feet,  and  which  through  the  channel  of  her 
beautiful  Piscataqua  flow  constantly  by  her  doors. 

"  111  fares  the  land,  to  hastening  ills  a  prey, 
Where  wealth  accumulates,  and  men  decay." 

Does  this  couplet  from  Goldsmith's  Deserted  Village  aptly  illustrate  the 
present  condition  of  Portsmouth?  I  think  not.  There  has  been  undoubt- 
edly an  increase  in  the  wealth  of  our  city  daring  the  last  30  years,  and 
a  large  increase,  in  the  aggregate,  but  no  accumulations.  The  tendency 
has  been  to  a  more  equal  distribution,  which  manifests  itself  in  the  greatly 
improved  appearance  of  the  city.  Of  all  the  old  and  early  settled  towns 
in  New  England,  with  which  I  am  acquainted,  no  one  has  within  the  last 
30  years  improved  its  general  appearance  more  than  the  city  of  Ports- 
mouth. True,  its  population  has  not  increased,  nor  has  the  number  of 
its  dwelling  houses  and  other  buildings  been  much  changed.  But  I  very 


70 

distinctly  recollect  how  it  looked  to  me  in  1844  when  I  first  came  here  to 
live.  There  were  then,  as  now,  some  magnificent  old  mansion  houses, 
with  their  fine  gardens,  and  beautiful  surroundings,  which  gave  an  historic 
interest  to  the  place.  But  the. city  itself  looked  old  and  effete.  Its  streets 
were  uncared  for,  untravelled,  and  fast  growing  over  to  grass.  Its  side- 
walks were  poor  and  neglected.  Its  buildings  were  old  and  covered  with 
the  moss  of  age.  Its  fences  were  dilapidated,  antiquated  and  bore  but 
slight  marks  of  paint.  Its  wharves  were  destitute  of  shipping,  and  its  ware- 
house once  filled  with  the  products  of  foreign  ports,  tenantless.  Every- 
where were  signs  of  old  age,  decrepitude,  and  decay. 

But  how  is  it  to-day  '(  I  refer  not  to  the  beautiful  decorations  and 
adornments  put  on  for  this  particular  occasion,  this  national  holiday,  this 
jubilant  celebration  of  her  250th  birthday,  this  grand  reception  day  for  her 
sons  and  daughters  who  have  come  to  see  her  and  renew  their  allegiance 
to  their  old  mothers,  and  kiss  the  old  hand  that  guided  their  footsteps  in 
childhood  and  youth.  But  what  is  her  every-day  appearance?  Travel 
through  these  streets,  any  day  and  you  shall  find  them  well  filled  with  peo- 
ple eagerly  intent  on  business,  or  pleasure.  New  and  beautiful  churches 
and  school  houses  occupy  old  sites,  or  adorn  new  ones.  The  streets  and 
sidewalks  have  not  only  been  greatly  improved,  but  they  are  everywhere 
adorned  with  choice  shade  trees.  Old  and  dilapidated  buildings  have 
been  removed  or  repaired.  The  painters  have  been  abroad  over  the  whole 
city,  and,  as  a  result,  the  old  city  seems  to-day  decked  in  garments  of  white 
and  green,  with  garlands  of  flowers  adorning  her  head,  youthful  in  appear- 
ance and  beautilul  as  a  young  bride  adorned  to  meet  her  husband. 

Thirty  years  ago  our  city  had  the  reputation,  notwithstanding  the  visi- 
ble signs  of  decay  to  which  I  have  just  alluded,  of  being  a  wealthy  city; 
and  for  those  times,  undoubtedly,  there  were  here  large  accumulations  of 
wealth,  the  results  of  a  former  prosperous  commercial  business.  These 
accumulations  of  wealth  remained  in  the  city  long  after  the  decline  of  her 
commerce.  But  vested  capital,  government  bonds  which  pay  no  taxes, 
bank  stocks  and  railroad  stocks,  securities  very  convenient  and  desirable 
to  the  individual  holder,  but  which  add  no  facilities  for  the  business  of  a 
city,  and  give  no  employment  to  its  laborers,  are  of  but  small  advantage 
to  a  city — mere  accumulated  wealth  which  gives  no  stimulant  to  business, 
nor  employment  to  labor  is  a  general  curse  instead  of  being,  as  it  ought  to 
be,  a  universal  blessing. 

We  claim  ior  our  city  an  increase  of  its  material  wealth  during  the  last 
2u  years,  and  the  assessor's  valuations  show  it  equally  with  the  facts 
which  I  have  cited.  Another  query  I  propose  to  answer.  Has  there 
been  any  decay  in  her  men  ?  I  say  no.  the  late  census  of  the  United  States 
to  the  contrary  notwithstanding  True  the  late  census  tables  show  a 
population  less  in  1870  by  477  persons  than  in  1850.  But  does  this  prove 
the  men  and  women  of  the  last  generation  wanting  in  vitality?  or  that 
they  have  failed  to  multiply  posterity  in  the  same  ratio  as  in  other  cities? 
Not  at  all.  The  men  of  Portsmouth  show  no  signs  of  decay.  Look  for  a 
confirmation  of  this  statement  to  the  late  published  rolls  of  names  of  absent 
sous  and  daughters.  I  have  been  perfectly  amazed  to  see  the  long  rolls 
of  names  of  persons  of  Portsmouth  origin  who  have  left  their  native  city 
and  gone  to  seek  permanent,  or  temporary  homes,  in  other  places,  and 
who  help  swell  the  population  of  other  cities  and  towns.  Scattered  through 
the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land,  go  where  you  will,  you  shall  find  there 
some  1'ortsmouth- born  citizen,  son  or  daughter.  Could  these  people  all 
have  been  kept  at  home,  the  city  now  would  not  have  had  houses  enough 
to  contain  its  population. 

There  are  in  filty  cities  of  the  United  States  no  less  than  29,000  persons 
who  were  born  in  New  Hampshire.  And  of  the  population  of  our  neigh- 
boring city  of  Boston  more  than  7,000  were  born  in  New  Hampshire, 
and  a  very  large  number  of  these  were  born  in  our  city.  These  facts 


71 

are  sufficient  to  show  why  Portsmouth  has  made  no  increase  in  her  popu- 
lation according  to  the  census  returns. 

The  average  Portsmouth  boy  is  ambitious,  too  ambitious  and  too  enter- 
prising to  settle  down  for  life,  at  home,  while  other  cities  offer  him  so 
much  wider  and  so  much  more  tempting  fields.  The  average  Portsmouth 
boy  is  well  trained  and  well  educated,  and  possesses  an  aptness  for  business 
which  makes  him  in  demand,  and  which  secures  for  him  higher  positions 
and  better  reward  elsewhere  than  he  can  hope  to  obtain  at  home. 

Portsmouth  young  ladies  have  ambition  too,  and  besides  being  trained 
up  under  good  home  influences,  they  all  have  the  benefit  of  our  admirable 
system  of  public  schools,  which  have  been  established  and  sustained  with 
a  liberal  policy,  and  under  the  idea  that  in  matters  of  education  there 
should  be  no  discrimination  on  account  of  sex,  that  the  means  of  educating 
females  should  be  equal  in  every  respect  to  the  means  provided  for,edu- 
cating  males.  The  Portsmouth  young  ladies  are  beautiful  too,  for  which 
they  are  not  to  be  blamed,  beautiful  as  the  Sabine  women  of  old,  the  envy 
of  their  Roman  neighbors.  You  know  well  how  the  Romans,  by  stratagem, 
and  even  at  the  risk  of  war,  snatched  the  beautiful  Sabine  young  ladies 
from  their  parents.  Well,  a  great  many  of  Portsmouth's  young  ladies 
have  in  like  manner  been  snatched,  from  time  to  time,  from  their  parents, 
to  become  the  wives  of  the  young  men,  the  modern  Raptores  of  other  cities. 
In  the  manner  I  have  thus  alluded  to,  has  our  city  been  drained  of  its 
natural  increase  of  population.  Her  sons  have  gone  out  voluntarily  ;  her 
daughters  have  been  taken,  nolens  volens, 

But,  notwithstanding  this  great  drain,  enough  are  left  behind  and  of  the 
right  kind  too,  to  take  care  of  the  city  and  its  interests ;  enough  to  guard 
Well  the  old  penates  and  to  keep  the-  fires  still  brightly  burning  on  the  old 
hearth  stones.  At  their  summons  we  come  up  here  to-day  as  to  a  common 
home.  Our  hearts  warm  at  the  welcome  reception  given  us.  From  all 
parts  of  the  land  we  have  heard  your  call  to  come  home,  to  come  to  this 
common  feast  which  you  have  so  generously  provided,  to  come  to  this  5th 
semi-centennial  anniversary  of  the  first  settlement  of  old  Strawberry  Bank, 
offering  to  all  the  freedom  of  the  city  and  the  hospitality  of  its  citizens. 
No  other  city  in  this  country  ever  thought  of  thus  collecting  together  her 
absent  sons  and  daughters,  and  no  sons  and  daughters  of  any  other  city 
ever  so  spontaneously  gathered  themselves  together  on  such  an  occasion 
before.  We  come  because  you  have  called  us.  We  come  called  by  the 
day  and  the  occasion.  We  come  to  unite  our  congratulations  with  yours 
for  all  that  Portsmouth  has  been  in  the  past  and  for  all  she  promises  to  be 
in  the  future.  Boasting  of  an  age  running  back  to  the  time  of  the  very 
first  settlements  made  in  the  country,  and  thence  onward  through  all  the 
vicissitudes  and  changes  of  250  years,  you  behold  her  to-day  in  appearance- 
young  and  beautiful,  with  no  signs  of  decay  any  where  apparent.  She  is 
without  spot  or  wrinkle  or  any  such  thing  as  a  precursor  of  old  age.  As 
Daniel  Webster,  for  years  one  of  our  citizens,  once  said  of  Massachusetts, 
so  we  may  say  of  old  Portsmouth,  that  "her  past  history  is  safe." 

Three  cheers  were  demanded  for  "  our  old  and  respected  teacher,  ISRAEL 
KIMBALL."  and  given  with  great  heartiness  and  evident  sincerity. 

SECOND  REGULAR  SENTIMENT  : — Our  Teachers.  Sometimes  blessings  in. 
disguise.  Our  chastenings  only  furnished  momentary  clouds,  that  had 
their  golden  lining.  In  the  light  of  after  sunshine,  we  honor  them  for 
their  fidelity,  respect  them  for  their  stern  virtues  ;  and  trust  their  teach- 
ings. Their  eloquent  appeals,  which  detained  us  many  half  hours  beyond 
school  hours,  and  their  infrequent  use  of  the  rod  have  had  the  effect  to 
make  us  better  men  and  women,  stronger  in  self-control,  with  loftier  aims 
and  aspirations.  May  they  be  forever  blessed  ! 

THE  PRESIDENT.  Mr.  AURIN  M.  PAYSON  is  eipected  to  respond  to  the 
confession  of  the  Master  of  Ceremonies. 

Mr.  Payson  said  :     Mr.   President,  Graduates  and  members  of  Ports- 


72 

mouth  High  Schools :  I  am  exceedingly  happy  to  meet  you  here  to-day. 
All  the  circumstances  save  one,  connected  with  this  occasion  are  very 
pleasant ;  and  that  one,  perhaps  I  magnify  beyond  its  real  importance, — 
still  I  feel  embarrassed — for  as  I  look  over  this  assembly  and  see  these 
young  ladies  and  young  gentlemen,  gathered  here  in  so  great  numbers,  I 
find  myself,  as  an  eloquent  son  of  Portsmouth  said  twenty  years  ago,  all 
at  once  in  sympathy  with  the  old  lady,  whose  tenement  was  leather  and 
knew  not  what  to  do.  Changing  the  original  of  the  story-book  a  little,  I 
might  truly  assert, 

There  was  an  old  teacher, 
I've  oft  heard  him  pray, 
TV  hen  he  met  all  his  pupils, 
He'd  know  what  to  say. 

Amid  the  delightful  distractions  of  the  present  week,  I  have  been  una- 
ble to  collect  and  concentrate  thought  for  even  this  glad  hour. 

The  grand  mistake  in  the  life  of  teachers,  has  always  seemed  to  me  to 
be  this ;  that  they  attempted  too  many  things  and  became  distinguished 
in  nothing.  But  to-day  I  am  half  inclined  to  reject  the  sentiment  alto- 
gether ;  for  who  can  think  of  the  merchant  princes,  lawyers,  physicians, 
clergymen,  editors,  authors,  members  of  state  and  national  legislatures, 
artists  and  teachers,  whose  names  we,  dear  and  time  honored  co-laborers, 
can  place  on  the  list  of  our  pupils,  and  not  feel  a  becoming  pride  on 
such  occasions  as  this  !  What  branch  of  honorable  business,  national  or 
commercial  enterprise,  in  which  they  may  not  be  found  ?  It  was  a  great 
satisfaction  to  hear  one  of  their  number  so  highly  cornplinented  by  the 
gallant  Col.'s  chief  of  staff,  who  represented  the  New  York  delegation 
yesterday,  in  this  tent. 

Let  me  tell  you,  sir,  the  present  actors  will  play  their  part  equally  as 
well  as  those  who  are  slowly  retiring  to  the  more  shady  scenes  of  life. 
They  may  not  speak  or  write  more  logically  and  elegantly  than  Fields 
and  Laighton,  wno  charmed  us  with  their  eloquence  yesterday,  nor  preach 
more  forcibly  than  one  who  addressed  us  then  and  here.  But  I  do  say 
and  say  it  without  fear  of  contradiction,  that  if  the  enemies  of  human 
progress,  attempt  to  obstruct  their  pathway,  they  will  "  take  the  battery 
at  the  point  of  the  bayonet"  they  will  "carry  the  enemy's  works  by  storm." 
The  world  is  to  be  handed  over  to  civilization  and  the  light  of  letters, 
— and  the  "Man  of  sorrows"  is  yet  to  be  the  head  of  triumphant  le- 
gions ! 

Go  into  any  stirring,  enterprising  locality  of  earth,  and  if  you  can  find 
a  Portsmouth  High  school  boy  or  girl,  an  inch  even  behind  the  foremost 
in  business,  or  any  good  work,  it  will  appear  in  next  year's  almanac,  as 
one  of  the  strange  phenomena  of  the  season  !  If  there  be  such  a  one, 
there  must  be  something  unnatural  about  it.  I  might  mention  a  list  of 
worthies — but  it  would  be  invidious,  I  can  only  tell  you  where  you  can 
have  your  wants  supplied.  If  you  need  books,  go  to  the  world- renowned 
publishing  houses  of  Boston,  New  York  and  Philadelphia 

If  you  want  diamond  rings  and  jewelry,  inquire  in  this  assembly  of  the 
dealers  themselves.  If  you  wish  to  know  why  all  the  sheep  and  camels 
are  rushing  to  shelter  for  dear  life,  go  to  the  large  woollen  jobbing  houses 
of  the  same  cities.  Are  you  in  search  for  dealers  in  drugs  and  medicines, 
inquire  at  the  paternal  mansion  in  Richards'  avenue  before  you  take  the 
cars ;  and  so  I  might  say  of  all  kinds  of  business,  and  of  the  earnest 
minds  that  manage,these  branches  of  industry.  But  time  is  not  allowed 
me,  sir,  to  tell  of*  the  Gideons  and  Baraks,  and  the  hundreds,  whose 
names  I  could  mention  with  exceeding  great  pleasure.  Still  in  behalf 
of  those  who  have  preceded  me  as  speakers  let  me  predict  that  no  pupil 
shall  ever  fail  of  success  in  life,  if  he  or  she  do  but  follow  the  faithful  and 
excellent  instruction  that  they  have  received.  Twenty  years  of  my  life 
I  have  endeavored  to  fill  the  office  of  Principal  of  the  Portsmouth  High 


73 

Schools,  about  ten  years  in  each,  and  when  you  shall  meet  here  again  as 
many  years  hence,  you  can  decide  for  yourselves,  whether  or  not  my  pre- 
diction is  true. 

Loud  applause  and  three  cheers  for  Mr.  Payson. 

THIRD  REGULAR  TOAST: — The  class  of  1864.  The  first  to  form  a  Class 
Association,  may  its  action  and  success  be  contagious. 

THE  PRESIDENT  :  this  sentiment  will  be  responded  to  by  a  graduate  who 
has  caught  the  contagion,  and  given  it  to  several  others. — Mr.  Charles  C. 
Hazlett. 

RESPONSE  OF  C.  0.  HAZLETT  : 

Mr.  President:  I  thank  you  for  your  kind  and  flattering  introduction. 
Ladies  and  Gentleman  it  is  with  sincere  pleasure  that  I  respond  for  the 
class  of  '64,  for  to  the  members  of  that  class  more  than  to  any  other,  be- 
longs the  honor  of  effecting  this  Reunion  here  to-day.  A  few  years  after 
graduating,  the  members  of  my  class  formed  a  Class  Association  not  only 
for  their  own  benefit  and  enjoyment  but  with  the  hope  that  at  some  future 
day  a  Reunion  of  the  graduates  and  members  of  botn  schools  might  be  ef- 
fected. 

We  have  every  year  since  organizing  had  our  annual  Supper  (and  good 
ones  they  have  been  too),  our  river  excursions,  and,  most  important  of  all, 
our  Class  Secretary  has  kept  a  complete  record  of  the  residences,  occupa- 
tions and  successes  of  the  various  members.  And  the  very  fact  that  such 
a  record  is  kept,  is  an  incentive  to  each  member, — or  at  least  I  know  it  is 
to  me,  to  make  each  of  our  records  as  honorable  and  successful  as  that  of 
any  of  our  classmates.  I  hope  this  Association  will  be  as  successful  as 
has  that  of  the  class  for  which  I  have  the  honor  to  respond. 

FOURTH  REGULAR  TOAST: — The  Study  of  the  Classics. — The  golden  key, 
unlocking  the  doors  of  some  of  the  richest  treasure-houses  of  our  language. 

THE  PRESIDENT.  This  sentiment  will  be  responded  to  by  a  young  lady 
who  holds  the  key,  and  knows  how  to  use  it. 

RESPONSE  OF  Miss  SUSIE  P.  SPAULDING  : 

"The  Golden  Key  which  unlocks  the  richest  treasures  of  our  language" 
is  turned  but  by  a  few.  Some  turn  it  partly  round,  a  very  ambitious  few 
only  turn  it  entirely  around.  Saxe  very  happily  describes  one  who  never 
turned  the  key  as  follows : 

"Novis.  whose  silly  claim  to  high  position 

Is  genuine,  if  wealth  can  make  it  true, 
A  youth  whose  stock  petroleum,  not  patrician, 

Shines  none  the  less  for  being  fresh  and  new, 
Standing  before  a  flaming  placard  sees, 

Announcing  thus  the  lecture  of  the  night 
By  Everett — •  The  Age  of  Pericles.' 
Novis,  half  doubting  if  he  reads  aright, 

Kepeats  the  words,  soliloquizing  loud, 
'The  age  of  Pericles  !'  I  wonder  now 

That  such  a  theme  should  gather  all  this  crowd 
That  throng  the  door  with  such  a  mighty  row; 

There  isn't  one  among  them,  I'll  engage, 

That  cares  a  fig  about  the  fellow's  age"." 

(Laughter  and  applause.) 

FIFTH  REGULAR  TOAST  : — The  High  School  Scholars  of  Strawberry  Bank. 
— Its  earliest  and  sweetest  fruit. 

THE  PRESIDENT.  I  propose  to  set  before  you  some  of  our  ripened  fruit 
and  will  call  upon  Rev.  EDWARD  A.  RAND,  of  South  Boston. 

Response  by  Rev.  Edward  A.  Rand  of  South  Boston. 

Mr.  President,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  : 

I  am  thinking  what  a  splendid  christening  this  child  of  our  love,  the 
High  School  Association  will  receive.  And  if  it  starts  with  so  much 
eclat,  what  will  its  future  be?  I  am  asked  to  speak  about  some  of  the 
summer  fruit  in  Old  Strawberry  Bank.  As  a  lady  has  preceded  me,  and^a 


74 

M 

second  represented  by  me  is  to  follow,  and  then  a  third  is  to  speak,  I  can 
but  think  in  what  a  quantity  of  the  sweetest  of  this  summer  fruit  I  am 
packed. 

I  would  call  your  attention,  Mr.  President,  to  two  features  of  this  sum- 
mer fruit.  I  think  it  was  old  Izak  Walton  who  said  that  God  might  have 
made  a  better  berry,  but  it  was  evident  he  had  not.  We  may  say  of  our 
High  School  scholars  that  possibly  there  might  have  been  better  boys  and 
girls,  but  as  a  fact  we  don't  believe  there  have  been. 

Another  feature  of  this  summer  fruit  is  that  it  don't  perish.  The-  straw- 
berry leaves  on  my  badge  have  begun  to  spoil.  The  fruit  grown  on  Old- 
Strawberry  Bank  does  not  wither.  The  mind  of  our  scholars  is  not  de- 
caying. The  body  may  lose,  the  mind  improves.  I  met  to-day  one  whom 
we  would  call  an  "old  boy."  He  said  "I  arn  just  the  same  as  ever."  Lift- 
ing his  hat,  he  showed  something  of  a  "snowy  expanse."  As  we  grow  old- 
er, though  we  may  not  have  a  Websterian  brain,  we  are  apt  to  get  a 
Websterian  brow.  Our  friend  while  affirming  that  he  was  just  the  same, 
added,  "1  am  only  a  little  more  barefoot  up  here." 

Though  the  body  may  lose,  the  mind  is  just  the  same.  Indeed  our  sum- 
mer fruit  improves.  And  to  show  this,  I  will  read  these  verses  prepared 
by  one  who  was  formerly  an  enthusiastic  member  of  our  Girls'  High 
School,  and  as  she  could  not  be  here  to-day,  I  am  very  glad  to  Tead  these 
verses  for  her.  I  refer  to  Mrs.  Carrie  Wniton,  of  South  Boston.  (Loud 
applause.) 

COMING   HOME. 

This  is  our  birth-place  !     Lo  !  from  East  and  West, 
From  North  and  South,  a  welcome  here  we  claim  ; 
Wondering,  in  fields  our  childhood's  feet  have  pressed, 
If  birds  will  sing  the  same ; 

Wondering,  if  sighing  trees  that  skirt  the  town, 
With  the  same  sweetness,  older  hearts  will  thrill, 
Or  roses  with  their  beauty  laden  down, 
Blush  by  the  wayside  still. 

Back  through  life's  changing  scenes  our  memories  run, 
Nor  yet  have  known  the  summer  hues  as  bright 
As  when  we  saw  our  hope's  unshadowed  sun 
With  youth's  unshadowed  sight. 

Yet  as  to-day,  with  graver  mien,  we  meet, 
And  tread  again  the  unforgotten  ways, 
We  clasp  each  other's  hands  with  hearts  that  beat 
As  in  our  earlier  days. 

Over  the  blinding  mist  of  years  we  pass, 
And  in  the  light  familiar  faces  rise ; 
Even  the  clover  swinging  in  the  grass, 
Looks  brighter  to  our  eyes. 

Beneath  the  elms  that  sheltered  us  in  play 
We  look  in  eyes  that  kindle  as  of  yore  ; 
And  lo  !  our  cares  drop  silently  away, 
And  we  are  young  once  more. 

What  matter  if  the  touch  of  time  has  wrought 
Its  "chisellings"  on  each  remembered  face  ; 
The  sculptor  of  the  soul, whose  name  is  Thought, 
Gives  every  line  a  grace. 

And  so  with  outspread  hands,  we  say  "All  hail !" 
This  great  Reunion  but  preludes  the  one 
When  the  Eternal  hand  shall  lift  the  veil 
From  the  Eternal  Sun. 

There,  'neath  the  unchanging  splendor  of  the  skies, 
Each  soaring  soul,  a  higher  beauty  given, 
God's  great  ''All  hail"  from  hosts  on  hosts  shall  rise 
In  our  new  birthplace — heaven! 


75 

I  think,  Mr.  President,  and  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  that  these  verses 
prove  that  our  summer  fruit  keeps  well,  and  improves  with  time. 

SIXTH  REGULAR  TOAST: — The  Education  of  our  Daughters,  as  advanced 
as  that  of  our  /S'o?is. — The  civilization  that  has  passed  beyond  the  distinc- 
tions of  caste,  color  and  creed,  should  not  halt  at  that  of  sex.  [Applause.] 

THE  PRESIDENT.  Ladies  and  Gentlemen. — This  sentiment  will  be  re- 
sponded to,  by  a  lady  who  has  already  shown  that  she  knows  how  our 
daughters  ought  to  be  educated — Miss  SARA  L.  GARRETT. 

RESPONSE  OF  MISS  SARA  L.  GARRETT. 

While  all  the  sentiments  proposed  here  this  afternoon  are  worthy  of 
emanating  from  the  minds  of  our  graduates,  this  we  hold  to  be  one  of  the 
most  noble,  embodying  years  of  labor  of  our  ancestors,  and  the  hopes  and 
desires  of  the  present  generation.  Not  many  years  ago  it  was  deemed  un- 
necessary for  girls  to  have  an  education.  Let  the  boys  attend  college, 
and  the  girls  manage  the  affairs  of  the  household  and  tend  the  babies.  Now 
we  would  not  change  this,  but  we  argue — if  woman  is  to  have  the  training 
of  the  men  of  the  future  generation,  in  their  most  tender  and  impressible 
years,  implant  ideas  and  cultivate  tastes  which  shall  color  their  lives  and 
perhaps  cling  to  them  while  life  shall  last — she  must  have  all  the  advan- 
tages of  a  liberal  education.  Colleges  must  throw  open  their  doors — some 
of  them  have  already  done  so — and  we  believe  the  time  not  very  far  dis- 
tant when  Dartmouth  and  Harvard  will  not  only  throw  wide  open  their 
doors,  but  each  will  regret  she  was  not  the  first  to  welcome  the  girls. 

Truly,  civilization  marches  forward  with  rapid  footsteps,  leaving  traces 
of  her  presence  which  will  never  be  effaced — like  the  circle  made  by  the 
little  pebble  cast  in  the  ocean — widening  and  widening  till  its  limits  are 
lost  in  the  boundless  waters.  Let  us  cast  our  eyes  back  to  the  time  of  our 
martyred  President.  Who  of  us  thought  the  time  had  come  when  the  poor 
benighted  Africans,  (God's  children  as  well  as  we)  who  of  us,  I  say, 
thought  these  people  would  be  freed  from  their  bondage — placed  on  a  level 
with  their  former  masters, — allowed  the  right  of  ballot,  and  given  an  equal 
share  in  the  government  of  our  country  ?  Lincoln  was  hooted  at,  railed  at 
as  a  madman  by  many,  yet  he  had  faith  to  believe  that  a  just  God  would 
sustain  the  right;  and  we  all  know  the  result. 

And  now  1  would  like  to  ask  this  question — do  you  place  your  colored 
brethren,  your  naturalized  foreigners,  on  a  higher  plane  than  your  mothers, 
your  wives  and  your  daughters?  Like  Pat,  you  would  give  an  evasive  an- 
swer and  say  there  can  be  no  comparison  ;  but  we  say,  "  actions  speak 
louder  than  words." 

Do  you  say  women  are  not  educated?  What  is  your  standard?  Tell  us., 
that  we  may  attain  unto  it,  for  we  know  we  would  do  anything  to  please 
you.  But  is  your  half  intoxicated  foreigner,  who  has  just  cunning  enough 
to  sell  his  vote  and  just  strength  enough  to  drag  himself  to  the  ballot  with 
another  man's  idea — is  he  educated  ?  .But  perhaps  you  may  say  "  we  think 
too  tenderly  of  you  to  expose  you  to  calumny  and  insult."  Let  us  not  for- 
get, sisters,  that  while  many  of  us  have  fathers,  husbands  or  brothers  to 
protect  and  represent  us,  there  are  thousands  of  noble-minded  women,  iu 
the  great  cities,  battling  with  stern  necessity,  crushed  down  by  oppression ; 
and  i  tell  you  since  such  is  the  case,  it  is  time  something  should  be  done 
that  the  down-trodden  of  our  sex  should  be  uplifted  and  the  ignorant 
educated,  that  all  may  pursue  their  way,  guided  by  a  God-given  conscience 
in  the  paths  he  has  marked  out  for  them.  Let  us  not  forget  them,  but 
make  our  education  the  means  of  benefitting  those  less  fortunate.  Let  us 
cultivate  conscience  in  this  as  in  all  else,  that  it  may  be  for  us  a  constant 
guide. 

SEVENTH  REGULAE  SENTIMENT: — The  Ladies. — Our  brightest  and  most 
precious  jewels.  In  honoring  them,  we  honor  ourselves. 


76 

THE  PRESIDENT,  MR.  FRANK  W.  MILLER,  is  expected  to  honor  himself 
by  responding  to  that  sentiment. 

RESPONSE  OF  FRANK  W.  MILLER. 

MR.  PRESIDENT, — Ladies  and  Gentlemen, — Brothers  and  Sisters. — I  am 
very  happy  to  be  here, — I  don't  mean  on  this  platform,  but  here  among 
you,  notwithstanding  I  am  to  do  such  a  fearful  stint  in  a  hot  afternoon. 
Let  us  see  what  it  is.  I  did  not  hear  of  it  until  a  couple  of  hours  ago,  and 
I  wish  I  had  not  heard  of  it  at  all.  "  The  Ladies — Our  brightest  and  most 
precious  jewels.  In  honoring  them,  we  honor  ourselves."  Am  I  expected 
to  speak  for  the  ladies,  of  the  ladies,  or  to  the  ladies? 

THE  PRESIDENT.     I  don't  know  but  all  three. 

MR.  MILLER.  All  three!  Thank  you!  I  think  the  ladies  are  capable  of 
speaking  for  themselves;  I  have  always  found  them  so ;  and  I  must  be  ex- 
cused from  speaking  for  them,  I  think,  except  very  brieflv.  The  idea  of 
following,  in  response  to  a  toast  of  this  kind,  the  speakers  that  we  had  yes- 
terday and  have  had  to-day — Fields,  Peabody,  and  all  the  rest  of  them  ! 
No,  1  will  leave  the  ladies  to  speak  for  themselves,  mostly ;  and  more 
especially  as  ladies  have  been  called  here  and  have  spoken  for  themselves, 
and  spoken  wisely  and  well.  Furthermore  my  friend  Rand  (he  ought  to 
have  known  better;  he  used  to  carry  papers  for  rne)  has  stolen  my  toast. 
I  had  it  all  written  out — "  Strawberry  Bank" — "Fruit,"  and  all  that.  He 
must  have  seen  it  on  my  desk.  So  I  must  omit  that.  Marston  ought  to 
have  known  better,  too,  (he  is  one  of  my  old  carriers),  than  to  get  me  into 
this  scrape.  But  it  seems  to  me  the  sentiment  expressed  here  is  a  little 
selfish.  I  think  the  ladies  should  be  loved  for  themselves,  and  honored  for 
themselves,  not  to  do  honor  to  ourselves.  We  are  taught  to  do  good  for  its 
own  sweet  sake,  and  not  for  any  reward, — and  so  I  do,  I  hope  (Laughter.) 
I  saw  a  motto  down  on  the  street,  and  I  took  off  my  hat  to  it.  I  did  not 
need  to  be  reminded  of  it,  but  I  was  glad  to  see  it  there,  that  strangers 
might  know  it.  "  The  Girls,  God  bless  them  !  are  all  right."  (Applause.) 
We  all  knew  that  before.  It  was  merely  for  the  information  of  strangers 
from  abroad. 

ISow,  Mr.  President,  if  I  am  expected  to  respond  for  the  ladies  on  the 
ground  that  I  was  a  High  School  girl,  I  can't  do  it,  sir;  I  plead  "not 
guilty."  (Laughter.)  But  I  was  the  next  thing  to  it:  I  took  one  of  them 
home.  That  was  the  best  I  could  do,  Mr.  President.  I  was  not  allowed  to  go 
to  the  High  School  with  the  girls,  I  am  sorry  to  say.  Why,  boys  and  girls, 
when  I  went  to  the  High  School,  under  Mr.  John  P.  Tasker,  (of  pleasant 
memory  to  me  alwayn,)  and,  for  a  few  months  only,  under  my  friend 
Kimball  (who  was  always  exceedingly  kind  to  me,  and .  I  thank  him,) 
when  I  went  to  that  school,  in  a  sort  of  garret,  or  old  rookery,  where  do 
you  think  they  sent  the  girls  to  school  ?  In  an  old  cellar  under  the  Court 
House!  True  as  you  live  !  (Laughter.)  And  if  I  wanted  to  see  one  of  them 
at  recess,  I  had  to  sneak  down  around  that  old  Court  house,  and  be  there 
when  school  let  out.  (Renewed  merriment.)  But  that  is  not  so  now.  You 
see  young  ladies  going  to  school,  and  the  young  men  happen  round 
just  at  the  right  time,  and  they  walk  up  street  together,  as  nice  as  can  be. 
There  is'nt  a  bit  of  trouble!  (Laughter  and  applause.) 

I  have  not  been  able  to  attend  many  school  exhibitions;  in  fact,  when 
I  have  been,  I  have  got  so  frightened,  that  I  did  not  dare  to  go  again.  I 
was  afraid  the  children  would  exhibit  me,  instead  of  my  exhibiting  them. 
But  once  I  did  go  down ;  it  was  an  hour  or  two  after  the  exhibiton  of  the 
medal  scholars  ;  there  was  a  charming  young  lady  there,  (it  was  only  a 
short  time  ago,)  and  she  had  a  medal,  and  1  could  not  but  contrast  the 

school  there, 1  was  going  to  tell  a  story,  but  it  won't  do  to  tell  tales 

out  of  schools,  girls',  aud  1  guess  I  won't  tell  that.  I  fancy  my  wife  is  he:e 
somewhere  !  It  was  about  the  medal ;  and  I  took  it  off  of  her  neck,  and 
made  some  remarks,  and  all  that.  (Merriment.)  I  guess  I  won't  tell  any 


77 

thing  about  that,  now.  But,  I  want  you  to  remember,  girls  and  boys,  to- 
day, that  the  late  Mayor  Walker  did  as  much  or  more  than  any  other  man 
to  give  you  the  beautiful  schools  in  which  you  now  take  so  much  pride,  in 
place  of  the  old  under-ground  room  and  the  rookery  in  the  garret. 
And  I  want  to  say,  to  the  credit  of  Mr.  Marvin,  that  he  insisted  upon 
clearing  the  girl's  school  out  of  that  cellar  under  the  Court  House,  and  he 
should  be  remembered  to-day  for  that.  He  ought  to  have  something  to 
say  about  children,  for  you  know  he  has  got  a  few  of  his  own, — and  good 
boys  they  are,  too. 

I  remember,  sir,  on  a  certain  occasion,  when  you  and  I  were  in  the 
newspaper  business  together,  there  was  a  new  daily  paper  started,  and  an 
old  fellow  at  the  west  end  who  had  taken  our  paper  for  a  good  while, — an 
honest  old  gentleman, — sent  a  note  down  to  the  office,  saying,  "  you  will 
please  discontinue  the  Chronicle,  for  obvious  reasons."  I  had  known  papers 
stopped  for  all  sorts  of  reasons,  and  for  no  reason,  but  this  was  something 
new.  I  was  too  old  in  the  business  to  be  disturbed  by  this,  but  my  young 
friend  was  a  good  deal  troubled ;  he  did  not  know  but  we  should  have  to 
lower  the  old  flag,  and  give  up  the  ship.  Now,  I  was  not  expected  to 
speak  for  the  ladies,  "for  obvious  reasons,"  but  I  will  tell  you  a  little  story, 
which  may  be  apt  on  this  occasion.  It  is  not  new,  but  perhaps  you  have 
not  all  heard  it. 

The  master  of  a  country  school  was  questioning  his  boys  about  religion 
or  theology  (I  guess  he  had  more  theology  than  religion  in  him,  judging 
by  the  result),  and  said  he  to  a  boy — '*  How  many  gods  are  there? "  The 
boy  thought  it  over,  and  said.  "Two  "  Well  the  master  gave  him  a  whip- 
ping. 1  don't  think  that  helped  his  knowledge  much  or  his  religion,  or 
even  his  theology.  He  asked  the  next  boy  ;  "  How  many  gods  are  there?  " 
He  thought  he  would  go  one  better,  and  he  said,  "  Three,"  The  master 
gave  him  an  outrageous  whipping.  Each  scholar  increased  the  number, 
until  one  little  fellow  whose  seat  was  near  the  window,  got  as  close  to  it  as 
he  could,  and  when  the  question  came  to  him,  said  "  len."  The  master 
made  a  dive  for  him,  and  he  went  out  of  the  window  like  a  shot.  He  walked 
around,  thinking  that  theological  questions  were  very  difficult  and  trouble- 
some things,  until  he  met  a  boy  coming  along  with  his  books  under  his  arm, 
"  Where  are  you  going  ?"  "  I  am  going  to  school."  "A  pretty  fellow  you 
are  to  go  to  school:  How  many  gods  are  there?"  "One."  "Oh!  you 
look  well  going  down  to  school  with  your  one  god.  I  said  there  were  ten, 
and  I  nearly  got  my  back  broke."  (Laughter  and  applause.)  So  if  I  should 
undertake  to  speak  too  much  for  the  ladies,  I  might  want  to  jump  over  the 
bounds,  and  I  don't  want  to  hurt  any  of  them. 

I  was  very  glad  to  hear  Brother  Fields  (perhaps  I  may  call  him  so)  come 
out  yesterday  so  squarely  for  the  ladies.  God  bless  them  !  they  are  a'll 
right,  but  the  men  don't  treat  them  right.  That  is  what's  the  matter.  My 
experience  and  observation  have  been,  invariably,  that  the  ladies  are  not 
only  equal  to  men,  take  them  in  education,  or  in  any  business  capacity, 
but  they  are  superior  to  men.  I  have  no  question  to-day  that  there  are 
a  hundred  women  in  this  town  who  would  succeed  in  business  better  than 
any  hundred  men  taken  at  random.  That  has  been  my  experience,  and 
the  experience  of  all  business  men.  Now,  why  should  they  not  have  an 
equal  chance  with  the  men  ?  But  when  they  used  to  put  the  young  ladies 
down  under  the  Court  House,  they  put  the  boys  up  stairs;  it  was  a  pretty 
good,  airy  place.  They  were  afraid  to  give  the  women  an  equal  chance, 
they  were  afraid  they  would  beat  the  men  ; — and  they  will  every  time  ; 
(applause.)  I  go  in  for  letting  women  have  every  thing  they  are  entitled 
to including  good  husbands,  who  neither  smoke  nor  drink.  (Applause.) 

I  am  very  glad,  Mr.  President,  that  an  organization  like  this  has  been 
formed.  When  I  first  heard  of  it,  I  said,  "  That  does  not  concern  me  ;  I 
never  went  to  the  High  School ;  "  but  come  to  think  it  over,  I  did.  We 
old  fellows  have  almost  forgotten  it.  We  never  had  the  girls  asking  us  to 


78 

come  out  evenings;  they  were  shoved  down  under  the  Court  House ;  we  had 
to  go  after  them  evenings,  or  any  other  time,  if  we  wanted  to  see  them.  I 
am  very  glad  of  these  social  gatherings,  and  am  very  happy  to  take  part 
in  them.  I  shall  close  with  a  very  brief  toast: 

The  Girls  of  Portsmouth,  at  home  and  abroad Give  them  an  equal 

chance  with  the  boys.  (Loud  applause.) 

EIGHTH  RE0OLAB  SENTIMENT  :  — Our  Singers. — Their  notes  are  never 
protested. 

THE  PRESIDENT.  It  is  expected  that  this  sentiment  will  be  responded  to 
by  a  gentleman  who  is  always  on  time,  and  who  is  somewhat  given  to 
making  us  forget  its  flight.  It  is  expected  that  he  will  take  up  these  notes, 
for  the  honor  of  the  maker.  I  notify  HENRY  C.  BARNABEE.  (Enthusiastic 
applause.) 

RESPONSE  OF   HENRY  C.  BARNABEE. 

I  thank  you  most  heartily,  Mr.  President,  for  the  toast  complimentary 
to  my  profession,  and  you,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  for  the  kind  reception 
you  have  accorded  me  in  connection  with  it.  Were  I  in  the  habit  of 
making  speeches,  I  know  of  no  occasion  when  I  should  feel  more  in  the 
mood  than  the  present,  which  calls  up  so  manv  reminiscences  of  my  school 
days.  Were  I  able  to  do  so.  I  am  afraid  I  should  have  to  appear  in  the 
character  of  the  bad  boy  and  recite  some  of  the  laughable  experiences  of 
school  life,  which  though  they  might  be  fun  for  you,  would  be  productive 
of  anything  but  that  emotion  in  the  breast  of  my  old  teacher,  Mr.  Kimball, 
who  I  have  no  doubt  is  sitting  there  thinking  of  the  fearful  struggle  he 
had  in  endeavoring  to  make  me  walk  in  wisdom's  pleasant  ways. 

I  beg  him,  however,  to  believe  that  the  spirit  or  fun  which  so  exercised 
him  was  but  the  germ  of  that  talent,  which  in  later  years,  if  it  has  not 
done  anything  for  the  world's  advancement,  has,  I  trust,  effected  some- 
thing in  furtherance  of  that  gospel  of  cheerfulness  so  eloquently  advocated 
by  our  friend  Mr.  Fields  of  whom  we  all  feel  so  proud.  I  am  not  vain 
enough  to  suppose  that  you  expected  a  speech  from  me.  You  only  desire 
an  illustration  of  the  sentiment  of  the  toast,  I  therefore  propose  to  sing 
you  a  song,  and  in  order  to  avoid  a  visitation  from  the  coat  tail  committee 
who  are  authorized  to  pull  us  down  in  five  minutes,  I  shall  do  it  at  once. 
I  have  selected  the  song  entitled  the  "  Cork  Leg,"  not  because  of  any 
special  appropriateness  for  this  place,  but  because  of  its  potency  on  former 
occasions  in  setting  things  in  motion. 

I  beg  to  assure  you  of  my  warm  interest  in  this  celebration  by  the  cheer- 
fulness with  which  I  throw  myself  into  a  violent  perspiration.  Let  me 
add  the  hope  that  the  sweet  influence  on  this  occasion  will  not  close  the 
present  exercises,  but,  like  the  Dutchman's  leg  of  which  I  am  about  to 
sing  to  you,  go  on  forever. 

In  response  to  the  vociferous  applause  which  followed  "  The  Cork  Leg," 
Mr.  BARNABEE  said  :  I  should  be  very  happy  to  answer  your  call,  but  I 
beg  you  to  remember,  that  I  am  very  nervous,  and  ever  since  I  received 
notice  that  I  was  expected  to  do  something  here,  I  have  eaten  it,  drank  it, 
and  slept  it,  and  now  I  am  glad  to  get  rid  of  it.  I  trust,  therefore,  that 
you  will  allow  me  to  slip  into  my  corner  and  enjoy  the  rest  of  the  after- 
noon. [Applause.] 

NINTH  REGULAR  SENTIMENT: — The  High  School  Boy  of  the  future. — A 
"What  is  it?" 

The  PRESIDENT.  This  sentiment  is  expected  to  be  answered  by  a  gentle- 
man who  has  shown  abundantly  what  the  High  School  Boy  of  the  present 
is.  We  expect  to  hear  from  the  HON.  JAMES  SHAW,  of  Mobile. 

RESPONSE  OF  THE  HON.  JAMES  SHAW. 

Mr.  President : — If  you  had  called  upon  me  to  respond  for  the  High  School 
Boy  of  the  past,  I  might  have  been  able  to  say  something  that  would  inter- 


79 

est  you  and  do  justice  to  the  subject;  but  "  the  High  School  Boy  of  the 
future"  opens  up  a  field  of  discussion  and  speculation  that  I  do  not  care 
to  enter  upon  this  hot  day. ,  The  High  School  Boy  of  the  past  is  a  figure 
around  which  my  fondest  and  most  pleasant  recollections  cluster.  I  re- 
member him  when  he  attended  the  old  "  rookery"  on  State  street,  the 
chief  distinction  of  which  was,  that  the  front  door  was  on  the  back  yard. 
[Laughter.]  I  remember  him  when,  as  a  "bad  boy,"  he  bankrupted  his 
pockets  in  spruce  beer  dissipation  at  Capt.  Clark's  restaurant,  when  the 
noble  Sand  and  the  lamented  Laighton  were  the  types  we  strove  to  emu- 
late. [Applause.]  I  have  marched  by  his  side  through  the  dust  of  south- 
ern soil  and  beneath  the  heat  of  a  southern  sun.  I  have  witnessed  his 
courage  under  fire  ;  his  patient  endurance  in  the  hospital  ;  and  wherever 
I  have  seen  him,  the  training  of  Kimball  and  Payson,  and  the  influence  of 
our  old  alma  mater,  have  flowered  into  a  manhood  which  it  was  a  pride  and 
pleasure  to  be  associated  with.  [Applause.]  And  then  the  fellowship  of  those 
boys  !  only  those  can  appreciate  it  who  have  met  them  in  strange  cities, 
and  in  a  hostile  country.  The  recollections  and  reminiscences  which  an  occa- 
sion like  that  calls  up,  I  tell  you,  friends,  make  it  an  oasis  in  the  memory 
of  the  absent  Portsmouth  High  School  Boy  which  dwells  there  for  years. 

Of  the  High  School  Boy  of  the  future,  I  will  not  say  much,  except  that 
I  hope  he  will  be  worthy  to  succeed  those  who  have  gone  before.  In 
their  lives,  he  will  find  incentives 'to  industry  and  perseverance,  and  in 
the  death  of  many,  he  will  learn  the  lesson,  that 

"  Whether  on  the  scaffold  high, 

Or  in  the  battle's  van, 
The  fittesi  place  for  man  to  die 

Is  where  he  dies  for  man." 

TENTH  REGULAR  SENTIMENT: — The  Schoolmaster  Abroad. — Portsmouth 
Schools  are  ever  ready  to  meet  any  drafts  which  the  needs  of  her  sister 
communities  may  make  upon  her  supply  of  educated  Sons  and  Daughters. 

RESPONSE   OF   KEY.   WM.   G.   NOWELL,   OF   MALDEN. 

I  suppose  I  am  called  to  respond  to  this  sentiment  because  I  have  been 
trying  to  supply  the  needs  ot  a  Massachusetts  town  in  the  way  of  High 
School  teaching,  and  am  perhaps  the  only  schoolmaster  now  at  work 
abroad  representing  the  old  High  Schools  of  Portsmouth. 

Certainly  I  am  justfied  in  saying  to  you  here  that  in  doing  this,  the 
work  of  my  six  days,  I  am  doing  little  more  than  endeavoring  to  carry  out 
the  principles  of  education  and  use  the  knowledge,  for  the  goodly  founda- 
tion of  which  I  am  indebted  to  the  schools  of  my  boyhood. 

I  should  be  recreant  to  my  own  sense  of  simple  gratitude  due,  did  I  fail 
to  mention  to-day  the  names  revered  by  me  as  the  names  of  the  teachers, 
helpers,  friends,  of  my  boyhood.  Miss  Place  and  Mrs.  Mudge,  in  the  little 
brick  schoolhouse  north  of  the  Burroughs  mansion  ;  Miss  Eliza  Salter,  in 
one  of  those  landmarks  of  the  olden  time  now  removed  from  opposite  the 
old  Wentworth  residence  on  Pleasant  street ;  and  Mr.  Israel  Kimball, 
whom  so  many  of  his  old  boys  delight  to  honor  here  to-day. 

The  principle  of  conscientious  study  for  the  sake  of  study  itself,  of  knowl- 
edge, of  growth  ;  the  persuasive  power  of  a  kindly  personal  interest,  the 
habits  of  attention,  of  accuracy,  of  research,  which  characterized  the 
Portsmouth  High  Schools  of  20  to  30  years  ago,  are  the  things  which  we 
find  the  High  Schools  of  the  suburbs  of  the  metropolis  of  New  England 
need  to-day.  In  those  schools  we  do  not  do  everything  just  on  the  old 
pattern.  The  good  pupil  follows  his  master  not  as  a  slavish  copyist,  but 
as  an  illustrator  of  his  principles  and  spirits. 

Our  boys  and  girls,  not  only  walk  to  school  together,  but  they  sit 
mingled  together  all  over  the  main  room  of  our  one  High  School  for  both 
boys  and  girls  ;  and  those  of  us  who  are  accustomed  to  the  perfectly  harm- 
less and  in  many  ways  advantageous  method  of  the  united  school,  are  glad 


80 

to  witness  in  this  first  meeting  of  this  new  joint  association  of  the  grad- 
uates of  the  Portsmouth  High  Schools,  a  token  that  you  in  the  old  home- 
stead are  moving  into  line  with  the  times. 

We  do  not  say  our  Latin  just  as  you  do.  Instead  of  de  gustibus  non 
disputandum,  something  which  sounds  like  day  goosteeboos  none  deespoo- 
tahndoom.  We  transmute  the  name  of  the  old  commander  of  the  conquering 
legions  and  emperor  of  the  eternal  city  from  Ccesar  into  the  hard  ringing 
Kaiser.  We  transform  the  silver-tongued  orator  of  the  old  Roman  com- 
monwealth from  Cicero  into  Keekayro.  We  turn^'am  into  yam. 

In  old  times  the  switch  of  the  birch  and  the  swift  sharp  stroke  of  the 
ferule  were  experiences  rather  to  be  expected.  In  our  day,  as  the  old  boys 
about  me  will  testify,  they  were  comparatively  infrequent ;  but  in  the  pic- 
tures we  form  of  the  more  ancient  schoolmaster  these  implements  of  torture 
are  the  inseparable  accompaniments  of  his  severe  presence.  We  do  not 
find  need  for  their  use  to-day ;  and  I  pledge  you  that  while  I  represent  your 
association  as  a  schoolmaster  abroad,  I  will  not  inflict  corporeal  punish- 
ment in  any  way  whatever.  There  are  many  other  points  of  need  and  of 
lack  of  need  in  the  schools  abroad  to  which  I  might  refer,  and  in  this 
presence  memories  of  the  past  come  crowding  thick  and  fast  upon  my 
brain  and  fill  my  heart. 

But  we  of  20  and  more  years  ago  are  old  fellows.     As  the  poet  sings : 

semula  necdum, 
Temporibua  gemiiiis  canebit  sparsa  senectus. 

The  tales  we  would  tell  seem  antiquated  to  you.  Let  me  only  add  that 
the  schoolmaster  abroad,  as  I  doubt  not  these  at  home,  finds  the  girls  of  our 
High  Schools  at  least  not  inferior  to  the  boys,  and  that  some  among  them 
are  eager  to  be  educated  by  substantial  studies  rather  than  to  be  ornament- 
ed by  light  and  frivolous  accomplishments.  I  know  two  girls,  who,  taking 
four  daily  studies  instead  of  three,  and  these  four  the  advanced  and  in 
part  difficult  studies  of  Greek,  Latin,  French  and  Trigonometry,  hold  un- 
disputed the  foremost  'places  in  their  class, — and  the  class  includes  among 
its  number  three  young  men  preparing  for  college. 

I  renew  my  expressions  of  gratification  at  the  evidence  we  have  to-day 
of  a  progressive  spirit  in  the  management  of  the  old  schools  of  our  home 
love,  confessing  at  the  same  time  that  however  far  we  of  Massachusetts  and 
New  Hampshire  side  by  side  may  advance  to  meet  the  demands  of  the 
future  in  our  school  systems,  we  school  masters  abroad,  sons  of  old  Ports- 
mouth, shall  still  be  carrying  out  the  essential  principles  which  governed 
the  conduct  of  the  schools  of  our  time,  and  will  always  acknowledge,  with 
a  glad  and  deep  gratitude,  the  fostering  care  with  which  she  trained  and 
educated  us  in  childhood  and  youth. 

Mr.  H.  C.  BARSABEE.  A  few  verses  have  been  hastily  prepared  by  two 
of  the  poets  of  Portsmouth,  and  I  will  ask  you  to  rise  and  join  me  in  sing- 
ing the  chorus — "  As  we  go  marching  on." 

The  following  was  then  sung  by  Mr.  Barnabee,  with  accompaniment  by 
the  band,  the  audience  joining  in  the  chorus  : 

We've  halted  to-day  in  the  weary  march  of  life. 
We've  pitched  our  tents  far  away  from  its  strife. 
On  the  old  camp  ground,  with  school  memories  rife, 
Ere  we  go  marching  on. 

Thank  God,  we  are  here  at  the  roll-call  of  to-day. 
Boys  and  girls  all  together,  tho'  golden  locks  are  gray; 
With  some  it  is  evening,  we  are  looking  for  the  day, 
As  we  go  marching  on. 

\Ve  talk  of  the  days  that  have  drifted  away, 
Like  boats  on  the  shore  of  a  wind-swept  day  ; 
Whatever  the  morrow,  we  are  singing  to-day, 
Ere  we  go  inarching  on. 


81 

ELEVENTH  REGULAR  SENTIMENT  : — Our  Army — Portsmouth  Boys. — First 
to  attack  and  last  to  retreat. 

THE  PRESIDENT.  This  will  be  responded  to  by  a  ' '  Portsmouth  Boy" 
who  was  there,  and  who  will  tell  you  how  the  boys  behaved. 

RESPONSE  OP  CAPT.  J.  ALBERT  SANBORN. 

Mr.  Chairman  and  Friends: — About  nine  years  ago,  during  the  discus- 
sion of  a  little  question  between  two  rather  important  sections  of  our  coun- 
try, I  had  the  honor  to  be  connected  with  a  regiment  of  New  Hampshire 
soldiers.  As  a  part  of  the  regiment,  Portsmouth  and  the  Boys'  High 
School  was  honorably  represented  in  one  of  the  most  brilliant  and  success- 
ful charges  of  the  war. 

We  had  stormed  one  of  the  strongest  batteries  in  front  of  Petersburgh  ; 
we  had  captured  a  large  number  of  prisoners,  guns,  and  materials  of  war ; 
we  had  hastily  reformed  our  columns  of  attack  and  had  attacked  and 
driven  the  enemy  from  his  second  line  of  works ;  the  fighting  had  been 
bloody  and  victory  had  been  purchased  only  at  the  sacrifice  of  many  pre- 
cious lives,  and  we  were  at  last  gathering  together  the  fragments  of  our 
companies,  when  an  Irishman  belonging  to  another  company,  and  who 
had  been  through  it  all,  came  up  to  me  and  said :  "  Captain,  will  you  be 
kind  enough  to  let  down  the  hammer  of  me  musket,  Iniver  fired  a  gun  in  me 
life." 

This  is  the  only  son  of  the  Green  Isle  1  ever  saw,  to  whom  fighting  was 
not  as  natural  as  eating,  and  I  have  often  thought  that  through  all  the 
dash,  daring  and  excitement  of  that  contest,  the  emotions  of  Patrick  must 
have  been  peculiar,  and  altogether  indescribable.  But  I  never  expected  to 
be  agitated  by  the  same  feelings,  until  your  Master  of  Ceremonies,  a  few 
hours  ago,  told  me  that  I  was  expected  to  respond  to  a  toast. 

And  now,  Mr.  Chairman  and  friends,  although  I  have  been  uplifted  and 
borne  along  by  the  same  deep  emotions  which  have  filled  all  your  hearts  ; 
although  I  have  grasped  the  hand  and  renewed  the  acquaintance  of  many 
schoolmates  and  companions  of  earlier  years  ;  although  my  eyes  have  seen 
and  my  ears  have  heard  the  glory  of  the  coming  of  our  girls  and  boys,  in 
these  beautiful  decorations,  inspiring  music,  and  happy  ,smiling  faces 
which  even  now  fill  our  city  with  light  and  joy,  yet,  when  I  am  set  to 
the  dreaded  task  of  making  a  speech,  I  feel  the  request  of  Patrick  is  the 
only  figure  that  will  illustrate  my  dilemma,  and  I  shall  ask  you,  Mr. 
Toastmaster,  to  let  down  the  hammer  of  my  musket,  for  I  never  fired  a 
shot — of  this  kind — in  my  life. 

This  morning  I  was  honored  by  an  invitation  to  attend  the  serenade 
given  by  the  New  York  delegation  to  their  friends.  In  passing  along  the  ' 
streets  of  our  city,  my  heart  was  touched  to  hear  one  after  another  of  that 
delegation  say  to  the  leader  of  their  band,  "  Mr.  Downing,  in  this  house  I 
was  born,  here  my  parents  live,  will  you  oblige  me  by  playing  "  Home 
Again,"  or  "here  resides  my  deai  old  grandmother  ;  if  a  kind  Providence 
spares  her  life  a  few  years  longer,  she  will  be  100  years  old,  please  play 
'Sweet  Home  !' "  And  as  the  ever  dear  and  familar  notes  of  these  household 
hymns  were  wafted  through  the  early  morning  air,  sad  or  happy  and 
grateful  tears  would  fill  their  eyes,  which  they  did  not  attempt  nor  care  to 
restrain.  I  thought  while  standing  there,  "  why  here  are  these  men  of 
whom  we  are  all  proud,  our  brothers  who  are  winning  fame  and  fortune 
for  themselves  in  distant-cities,  and  conferring  honor  upon  the  city  of  their 
birth,  and  every  son  and  daughter  of  Portsmouth,  but  better  than  honors, 
or  fame,  or  fortune,  their  hearts  are  in  the  right  place ;  they  love,  remem- 
ber, and  cherish  their  own."  And  this,  my  friends,  is  the  whole  of  it.  This 
is  the  key  which  has  opened  all  our  hearts  and  doors,  this  the  impulse 
which  has  turned  all  these  many  thousand  faces  homewards  to  meet 
with  us. 


82 

So  it  was  with  your  soldiers  and  sailors.  We  need  but  recall  the  names 
of  Storer,  Pearson,  Whipple,  Richards,  Gerrish,  Goss  and  many  others,  or 
need  but  recount  the  flags  in  yonder  cemetery,  each  marking  a  soldier's 
grave,  to  be  aware  of  the  fact  that  our  city  has  placed  its  full  quota  upon 
the  altar  of  sacrifice.  Our  soldiers  possessed  those  attributes  which  give 
distinction  to  our  living  sons  at  home  and  abroad,  and  were  rich  in  those 
qualities  which  ennoble  human  nature  and  which  obscurity  of  birth  cannot 
aim,  nor  exalted  station  gild. 

I  trust  that  I  may  claim  for  your  soldiers,  that  their  hearts  also  were  in 
the  right  place,  that  they  loved  their  kindred,  their  homes  and  their  coun- 
try, and  that  they  endeavored  to  do  their  duty. 

(Loud  applause  followed,  the  band  playing  "  The  Red,  White  and  Blue.") 

MAYOR  MARVIN.  A  lady  at  my  side  requests  me  to  arise  and  propose 
three  cheers  for  Capt.  Sanborn  and  the  noble  soldiers  of  Portsmouth  whom 
he  represents.  (Three  cheers.) 

TWELFTH  REGULAR  SENTIMENT:  —  The  Navy.  —  Portsmouth  proudly 
claims  her  share  in  the  lustre  of  its  achievements. 

THE  PRESIDENT.    To  be  responded  to  by  Mr.  FRANK  W.  HACKETT. 

RESPONSE   OF   FRANK   W.   HACKETT. 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  I  think  if  any  body  else  except  my  paternal 
relative  had  told  me  to  come  up  here,  I  should  have  disobeyed.  I  obey 
him,  not  only  because  he  happens  to  be  my  father,  but  because  he  has 
been  a  schoolmaster;  a  fact  I  did  not  find  out  until  I  was  about  ten  years 
old,  and  then,  of  course,  I  began  to  obey  him  all  the  more  strictly. 

Franklin  said,  that  the  man  who  was  good  at  apologies  was  seldom  good 
at  any  thing  else;  and  if  I  have  got  to  do  up  the  Navy  in  five  minutes,  I 
cannot  take  up  more  than  half  a  minute  in  apologies.  But  I  propose  to 
do  it.  When  our  friend  Marston  here,  who  has  such  winning  manners, 
asked  me  to  respond  to  a  toast,  I  said,  "Certainly."  I  did  not  know  what 
it  was ;  but,  being  connected  with  the  High  School,  I  supposed  it  would  be 
something  classical,  and  I  could  go  home  and  ransack  Virgil  and  Horace, 
and  get  up  something  that  would  do.  But  I  was  busy  all  day  yesterday 
in  looking  after  a  lot  of  enthusiastic  fellows  hailing  from  Washington,  and 
sundry  other  places,  and  when  I  retired,  my  sleep  was  troubled,  and  I 
woke  up  with  the  nightmare,  thinking  that  I  had  got  to  say  something 
here  this  afternoon  about  the  Navy.  I  was  reminded  of  an  anecdote  of 
one  Mr.  Burns,  who  used  to  live  about  forty  rods  from  here ;  some  of  you 
may  remember  him.  He  was  a  colored  man,  engaged  in  the  purifying  and 
elevating  occupation  of  whitewashing.  There  was  a  white  man  connected 
with  him  (altnough  I  don't  think  he  had  quite  so  much  ability  in  that 
line),  named  Ames.  One  day  some  one  thought  he  would  flatter  Mr. 
Burns,  so  he  tapped  him  on  the  shoulder  and  said,  "  Mr.  Ames,  how  do 
you  do  this  morning?"  Burns  drew  himself  up  to  his  full  height  (it  didn't 
take  a  great  while),  and  said  he,  "  I  guess  you  have  made  a  wrong  mis- 
take." (Laughter.)  I  thought  Marston  "made  a  wrong  mistake'1  in 
asking  me  to  speak  for  the  Navy !  I  remember  that  I  had  some  brass 
buttons  on  my  coat  at  one  time,  and  the  only  regret  I  had,  was  that  they 
sent  me  down  South  so  soon  after  I  got  them  that  I  did  not  have  a  chance 
to  get  near  the  ladies,  to  see  what  eflect  they  would  have.  (Laughter.) 

Now,  I  have  been  thinking  all  the  afternoon  (except  when  Barnabee 
was  singing)  what  the  Portsmouth  High  School  has  to  do  with  the  Navy, 
and  I  have  not  been  able  to  find  out  that  it  has  any  thing  to  do  with  it, 
unless  it  be  that  some  of  our  High  School  young  ladies  teach  our  naval 
officers  how  to  get  good  prizes, — and  I  dou't  believe  they  could  get  any 
better  ones.  (Applause.)  When  I  looked  over  the  list  of  our  young  lady 
graduates  who  have  joined  the  Navy,  it  was  perfectly  appalling  !  I  had 
something  to  do  with  sending  out  the  circulars  telling  our  absent  graduates 
what  their  friends  were  doing  at  home,  and  I  found  there  were  four  or  five 


83 

at  Annapolis,  and  how  many  there  are  at  the  other  navy  yards,  I  do  not 
know. 

Well,  as  to  the  boys,  I  suppose,  with  a  little  industry,  I  could  find  many 
a  young  man  who  has  gone  forth  from  the  High  School  to  some  war  vessel, 
where  he  has  done  his  duty,  and  his  whole  duty.  But  the  time  is  short, 
and  I  could  not  refer  to  these  names,  if  I  would.  I  might  speak  of  Harris, 
(who  came  out  from  the  High  School  with  me.)  and  Bates,  and  Boardraan, 
who  have  passed  away,  and  Penhallow.  But  there  comes  up  before  ine 
the  vision  of  one  young  man  to  whom  I  must  briefly  refer.  A  young  man 
known  to  some  of  you,  a  little  younger  than  myself,  cast  in  a  slender 
mould,  with  a  voice  as  sweet  and  delicate,  almost,  as  that  of  woman, 
around  whom  there  was  ever  sunshine;  who  went  forth  from  these  streets 
with  many  a  friendly  clasp  of  the  hand  and  many  a  "God-speed,"  and 
who  stood  upon  the  deck  of  the  "  Oneida "  as  she  took  that  sudden 
plunge  to  the  deep  below,  when  was  uttered  that  memorable  sentence, 
"  I  will  not  leave  my  post  until  regularly  relieved."  There  passed  away 
THOMAS  L.  TULLOCK,  Jr.,  of  the  "Oneida;"  and  in  him  we  see  a  type  of  the 
young  man  born  in  Portsmouth,  and  taught  in  our  High  Schools.  (Loud 
applause.) 

But,  my  friends,  the  moment  I  enter  upon  thoughts  like  these,  memories 
crowd  upon  me  so  thick  and  fast  that  it  were  impossible  to  give  vent  to 
my  emotions,  especially  when  so  little  time  is  accorded  for  the  purpose.  I 
will  therefore  close  simply  with  the  sentiment:  That  it  is  our  hope,  that  in 
the  future,  the  young  men  nurtured  here,  who  go  out  to  fight  life's  battles, 
whether  in  the  Navy  or  the  Army,  or  to  share  in  "  the  victories  which 
Peace  hath,  no  less  renowned  than  War,"  may  be  worthy  of  the  fair  repute 
of  the  city  of  Portsmouth,  and  may  always  and  everywhere  do  their 
whole  duty.  (Loud  applause,  the  band  playing  "  Hail  Columbia.") 

THIRTEENTH  REGULAR  SENTIMENT  -. — Our  Merchants. — The  bargains  of 
the  school-yard  have  grown  into  the  traffic  of  the  nation.  Energy  and 
integrity  are  the  pillars  of  mercantile  success. 

THE  PRESIDENT.  This  will  be  responded  to  by  one  who  has  the  "pil- 
lars," and  has  commanded  and  is  commanding  "success,"  MR.  SAMUEL  J. 
NOWELL. 

RESPONSE  OF  ME.  SAMUEL  J.  NOWELL,  OF  NEW  YORK. 

My  voice  is  not  so  strong  as  my  heart.  It  has  succumbed  to  the  fatigues 
of  the  occasion,  but  I  appreciate  so  highly  the  compliment  tendered  in 
my  selection  as  your  vice  president  from  New  York,  that  I  cannot  decline 
to  say  at  least  a  few  words  in  response  to  your  call.  A  young  friend  of 
mine,  who  was  recently  at  Geneva,  and  now  is  a  resident  of  Washington — 
I  won't  call  his  name  for  his  modesty  would  object, — wrote  me  last  week, 
that  people  sat  down  on  the  curb-stone  and  cried  because  they  were  not 
born  in  Portsmouth. 

When  I  first  read  the  statement  I  was  disposed  to  Hack-it  in  two,  and 
take  it  half  at  a  time,  but  since  I  have  been  the  recipient  of  your  beauti- 
ful and  touching  hospitality,  I  feel  that  I  too,  had  I  not  been  born  in 
Portsmouth,  could  sit  down  on  the  curb-stone  and  cry  !  I  tbank  you  in 
behalf  of  our  delegation  for  your  kind  and  cordial  welcome  and  for  your 
words  of  personal  compliment  to  myself  and  my  companion  in  arms,  Col. 
Goodrich.  We  have  in  New  York  a  large  working  population,  which  is 
directed  very  largely  by  New  England  men,  and  prominent  among  these 
are  the  Sons  of  Portsmouth.  Many  holding  positions  of  great  trust  and 
responsibility  are  with  us  here,  otbers  were  detained  from  coming  by  im- 
perative engagements  elsewhere.  I  could  read  you  letters  received  from 
over  thirty  gentlemen  of  our  association,  regretting  their  inability  to  go 
with  us,  bidding  us  God  speed,  and  wishing  us  to  say  to  you  God  bless 
you  ! 


84 

We  are  glad  if  bv  our  lives  we  do  honor  to  our  native  city  and  to  the 
old  High  School.  It  was  here  that  our  minds  and  characters  were  formed, 
our  traits  and  tendencies  developed,  and  that  we  were  prepared  to  move 
into  the  wider  arena,  and  to  fill  trie  positions  which  have  fallen  to  us.  I 
am  glad  so  many  of  the  High  School  'boys  have  achieved  such  marked 
success,  and  that  the  graduates  of  the  young  ladies'  school  stand  so  high  on 
the  roll  of  honor. 

We  come  to  you  not  only  as  Sons  and  Daughters,  but  as  fellow-towns- 
men and  countrymen  and  as  High  School  children.  The  triple  significance 
of  the  day  impresses  us  with  especial  distinctness.  We  shall  travel  back 
to  it  through  many  years  of  our  lives,  with  the  deepest  delight,  and  we  al- 
ready look  forward  with  delightful  anticipations  to  the  day  when  you 
shall  again  call  on  us  to  place  another  three-faced  mile  stone  in  the  jour- 
ney of  life.  Many  of  us  who  are  here  now,  may  not  come  then,  but  they 
will  have  passed  to  the  best  land  above  from  the  best  land  below. 

It  is  said  unto  us,  "Return  to  the  land  of  thy  fathers  and  their  kindred, 
and  I  will  be  with  thee."  As  we  are  clasped  in  the  arms  of  those  who 
love  us  ;  as  we  look  into  faces  shut  out  from  ours  through  the  interval  of 
many  years ;  as  we  meet  the  dear  and  early  friends,  the  companions  of 
our  "boyhood  and  girlhood,  the  glow  in  our  hearts  partakes  of  this  Divine 
presence.  May  it 

Bless  all  your  fields  with  rich  increase         » 
And  crown  eacli  true  heart's  pure  desire, 
"For  here  we  loved  and  where  we  love  is  home, 
Home  that  our  feet  may  leave  but  not  our  hearts  ; 
The  chain  may  lengthen,  but  it  never  parts." 

I  thank  you  again  for  your  choice  of  myself  as  one  of  your  vice  presi- 
dents, and  for  the  placing  of  my  name  so  closely  to  that  of  our  dear  Iriend 
from  Boston,  Mr.  Fields,  whom  we  all  delight  to  honor  and  esteem.  I  feel 
that  some  other  one  than  myself  from  the  large  number  of  your  graduates 
in  New  York  could  have  filled  the  position  more  fittingly  and  more 
thoroughly  ;  but  as  I  said  to  you  in  my  acceptance  I  thank  you  for  your 
choice,  because  it  unites  me  once  more  to  the  dear  old  teacher  with  whom 
five  of  the  pleasantest  years  of  my  life  were  spent  with  his  associates,  all 
of  whom  I  esteem,  and  with  you  who  are  now  occupying  the  familiar 
places  and  because  the  golden  net-work  you  are  weaving  as  an  Association 
links  me  more  closely  to  the  delightful  past. 

Now,  I  want  you  to  give  a  few  moments  to  my  dear  old  friend,  Col. 
Goodrich,  who  has  done  so  much  through  all  the  work,  and  from  whom  I 
know  you  will  be  glad  to  hear. 

Col.  GOODEICH,  on  rising,  was  greeted  with  prolonged  and  hearty  cheer- 
ing. He  said,  speaking  with  evident  difficulty, 

Mr.  President,  I  am  sure,  Sir,  that  you  will  excuse  me.  My  voice,  like 
my  heart,  has  gone  out  in  particles,  all  over  this  dear  old  town.  I  have 
been  talking  and  cheering  two  long  days,  and  have  talked  and  cheered 
perhaps  too  much.  There  is  much  to  say,  Sir,  and  the  provocation  is 
great  to  say  it ;  and  could  I  make  myself  heard  to  this  nice  people,  I 
should  occupy  the  whole  allotted  five  minutes,  in  "thanks,  and  thanks, 
and  ever  thanks."  I  know  you  will  excuse  me,  Sir. 

FOURTEENTH  REGULAR  SENTIMENT  :  Tlie  Press — The  mirror  of  the 
times.  Its  mission,  to  express  the  right,  to  repress  the  wrong,  and  to  leave 
a  good  impression. 

THE  PRESIDENT.  This  will  be  responded  to  by  MR.  GEO.  G.  KIMBALL, 
who  of  course  will  leave  a  "good  impression." 

(We  failed  to  procure  a  copy  of  Mr.  Kimball's  speech,  although  we 
wrote  to  him  for  it.) 

FIFTEENTH  REGULAR  SENTIMENT  :  Our  absent  Associates. — Though 
absent  in  fact,  present  in  mind. 


85 

THE  PRESIDENT. — HON.  EZRA  A  STEVENS  is  expected  to  respond  to  this 
sentiment.  (Three  cheers  for  the  Marshal  of  the  Boston  Sons  and  Daugh- 
ters of  Portsmouth.) 

RESPONSE    OF    HON.    E.    A.    STEVENS. 

I  am  greatly  obliged  to  you,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  but  it  is  a  good  deal 
of  cheering  over  a  small  subject.  Among  the  most  painful  recollections  of 
my  life  is  an  attempt  I  made,  about  thirty-five  years  ago,  to  declaim  a 
piece  in  the  Portsmouth  High  School.  I  see  but  one  witness  of  that  dis- 
tressing effort,  who  sits  quite  near  me.  The  piece  was,  as  near  as  I  re- 
member,— for  I  did  not  remember  anything  at  that  moment — that  was  the 
trouble, — "On  Linden,  when  the  sun  was  low"  (and  it  was  very  low),  "All 
bloodless  lay  the  untrodden  snow"  (and  there  was  no  blood  on  it),  "And 
dark  as  winter  was  the  flow  of  Iser,  rolling  rapidly."  (Laughter  and  ap- 
plause.) My  feelings  at  this  time  are  very  nearly  akin  to  those  that  dis- 
tressed my  heart  and  mind  and  body  then,  for  certainly  nothing  would  in- 
duce me  to  come  unprepared  before  an  assembly  like  this.  I  am  taken  at 
a  disadvantage.  My  friend  here,  Mr.  Marston,  who  has  done  me  a  good 
many  favors  in  the  course  of  my  lifetime,  came  to  me  at  the  dead  hour  of 
night  and  wanted  to  know  if  I  would  say  a  word  at  the  reunion  of  the 
High  School  to  be  held  in  the  High  School  rooms ;  well,  of  course,  as  an 
old  High  School  boy,  and  a  member  of  your  Association,  I  could  not  re- 
fuse to  do  that,  you  know.  But  when  I  found  that  the  affair  was  to  come 
off  in  the  tent,  and  came  inside  that  door,  I  assure  you  my  feelings  were  a 
great  deal  below  par.  Many  of  the  gentlemen  who  have  preceded  me  have 
made  apologies  ;  I  am  not  going  to  make  any,  neither  am  I  going  to  do 
what  Isaac  Hill  once  did,  when  he  was  called  upon  to  speak:  he  said, 
"Gentlemen,  I  am  totally  unprepared  to  say  anything  to  you  on  this  sub- 
ject,"— and  then  he  put  his  hand  in  his  pocket  and  pulled  out  a  manu- 
script that  it  took  him  about  an  hour  and  a  half  to  read.  (Laughter.)  I 
have  not  got  any  manuscript,  and  shall  detain  you  but  a  short  time. 

I  am  very  glad,  ladies  and  gentlemen, — boys  and  girls,  I  will  say,  for  I 
remember  you  as  boys  and  girls, — to  meet  you  on  this  occasion,  very  glad 
indeed,  and  you  will  pardon  me  if,  as  one  of  the  old  High  school  boys,  I 
refer  a  little  to  the  old  time.  What  is  the  toast,  Mr.  President  ?  (Laugh- 
ter.) "Our  Absent  Associates — Though  absent  in  fact,  present  in  mind." 
I  am  glad  it  does  not  say  "present  in  body,  "for  if  it  did,  it  would  put  me  in 
mind  of  Chandler  R.  Potter, — I  can't  say  "of  pleasant  memory,"  but  of 
painful  memory, — who  used  to  impress  upqn  our  sensitive  bodies  his  "ed- 
ucation," as  it  was  termed.  I  am  very  glad  he  is  not  here  in  the  body, 
because  I  am  afraid  he  would  want  to  cowhide  some  of  us.  Let  me  say 
here,  to  show  the  contrast  between  the  teachers  of  the  present  time  and 
the  past,  that  when  I  went  to  be  examined  for  admission  to  the  High 
School,  under  Mr.  Tasker,  he  appeared  at  the  door  barefooted,  in  his  shirt- 
sleeves, with  tobacco  in  his  mouth,  and  with  a  voice  that  would  send  terror 
to  the  heart  of  any  little  fellow.  But  he  said  one  thing  to  cheer  me  up. 
Said  he,  "If  I  don't  whip  you  for  six  months,  I  probably  shall  not  for  a  year ; 
and  if  I  don't  whip  you  for  a  year,  I  probably  never  shall."  You  may 
depend  upon  it  that  I  behaved  very  well  the  first  six  months,  and  you  may 
depend  upon  it  that  I  tried  hard  to  hold  out  until  the  end  of  that  year. 

The  ladies  and  gentlemen  who  have  preceded  me  this  afternoon  have  all 
had  very  carefully  prepared  addresses,  and  I  have  enjoyed  them  very  much 
indeed,  as  I  know  you  have.  It  was  a  very  great  pleasure  to  me  to  see  a 
young  lady  get  up  here  and  speak  before  this  audience.  I  remember  that 
I  had  the  pleasure,  a  few  years  ago,  of  handing  her  a  diploma  at  our 
High  School.  I  am  sure  I  am  proud  of  her,  as  you  are.  I  am  proud  of 
every  graduate  of  our  school.  You,  Mr.  President,  I  doubt  not,  feel  very 
proud  of  the  boys  who  have  gone  away,  and  I  am  sure  that  we  feel  just 
as  proud  as  you  do.  We  feel  as  proud  of  the  silver-tongued  gentleman 


86 

who  spoke  to  you  this  afternoon  as  others  can.  I  think  that  of  all  the 
pleasant  features  of  this  celebration,  the  most  pleasant  was  kept  for  the 
last.  I  do  not  mean  my  speech,  Mr.  President,  but  this  delightful  re- 
union. 

But  this  is  the  toast  I  am  to  speak  to — "Our  absent  Associates — Though 
absent  in  fact,  present  in  mind."  I  suppose  it  means  "Though  lost  to 
sight,  to  memory  dear."  I  cannot  speak  of  all  my  associates,  but  I  want 
to  speak  of  one  who  stood  with  me  a  great  many  times  at  Mr.  Potter's 
school.  He  was  a  teacher  of  the  most  immaculate  impartiality,  for  he 
thrashed  every  boy  in  the  school,  save  one,  every  Saturday.  (Laughter.) 
I  remember  the  boy  to  whom  I  refer  distinctly,  and  I  assure  you  it  is  with 
feelings  of  very  great  pain  that  I  ppeak  of  him.  He  was  a  pale-faced  lad, 
with  glasses,  sitting  in  the  seat  of  honor.  In  those  times,  the  classes  were 
graduated  according  to  their  merit  (as  they  graduate  them  now,  Mr.  Kim- 
ball),  but  the  boys  of  the  higher  classes  sat  nearer  heaven  than  the  lower 
ones.  The  boys  in  the  first  class  got  considerably  nearer  than  the  others; 
the  little  fellows,  like  myself,  sat  down  at  the  bottom.  I  say,  I  remember 
this  pale-faced  lad.  who  sat  in  the  upper  row.  He  was  a  very  good  scholar  ; 
he  never  was  whipped,  and  none  of  us  ever  injured  him,  because  he  was  a 
lad  of  very  gentle  and  winning  manners.  He  left  the  school  under  pain- 
ful circumstances,  but  graduated  with  honor.  Many  of  you  know  his  his- 
tory ;  I  have  not  time  to  tell  it  now.  I  refer  to  the  "Blind  Poet  of  Saga- 
more," and  only  for  this  reason:  that  I  know,  although  he  is  absent  in 
body,  he  is  with  us  in  spirit,  for  his  heart  beats  in  unison  with  every  one 
of  us.  And  I  want  to  say  just  this  word  to  you  all :  if  any  of  you  have 
failed  to  buy  a  memento  of  this  celebration,  I  hope  and  trust  that  each 
one  of  you  will,  show  your  attachment  to  the  High  School  by  purchasing 
a  copy  of  Mr.  Brown's  poems.  I  say  this  without  his  knowledge.  I  know 
it  would  pain  him  were  he  to  know  that  anything  like  begging  was  done  ; 
but  I  hope  that  every  one  of  you  will  possess  yourselves  of  that  delight- 
ful keepsake  of  our  celebration.  (Applause,  the  band  playing  "Auld 
Lang  Syne)." 

SIXTEENTH  REGULAR  SENTIMENT  : — Future  Reunions. — In  anticipation 
pleasant,  may  their  realization  surpass  all  expectation. 

REMARKS  OF  REV.  MASSENA  GOODRICH. 

Mr  President : 

It  may  be  asked  by  some  why  we  should  take  special  interest  in  a  meet- 
ing like  this.  What  is  there  in  such  an  organization  that  should  kindle 
enthusiam  ?  I  reply  that  to  the  start  given  us,  in  our  common  schools, 
most  of  us  are  largely  indebted  for  any  success  we  have  attained  in  life. 
I  often  think  of  a  story  that  President  Felton  of  Harvard  College  related 
with  much  glee.  While  living  in  Cambridge  over  twenty  years  ago,  I 
was  associated  with  him  one  year  as  a  member  of  the  school  committee. 
The  story  was  this.  Two  boys  were  overheard  talking  together.  It  seerns 
that  they  had  been  attending  a  private  school,  but  had  been  removed 
thence  to  the  public  school.  "  I  say,  Bill,"  said  one  of  .them  to  the  other, 
"  these  common  schools  are  a  grand  institution  ;  they  take  the  starch  out 
of  a  fellow  so."  It  was  a  favorite  principle  with  President  Felton  that 
the  common  schools  ought  to  be  made  so  good,  that  a  private  school  can- 
not live. 

Mr.  President,  I  know  that  all  of  us  will  endorse  the  sentiment  of  that 
boy.  Well,  for  the  youth  that  have  gone  forth  from  our  city,  if  the  starch 
was  early  taken  out  of  them  !  Experience  has  shown  that  in  the  rough 
and  tumble  of  life,  whatever  genuine  success  they  have  acquired  has  re- 
sulted from  downright  energy  and  straightforward  integrity. 

I  know,  Sir,  that  you  agree  with  President  Felton,  in  the  wish  that'our 
common  schools  shall  be  made  so  good  that  they  will  defy  all  rivalry  ;  for 
I  recollect  that  in  my  school-boy  days  you  were  often  an  active  member 


87 

of  the  school  committee.  And  now  with  respect  to  the  sentiment  to  which 
I  am  desired  to  respond.  I  rejoice  that  such  a  union  has  been  formed  as 
has  been  described  here.  As  years  roll  on,  it  will  be  pleasant  for  these 
youths  to  recall  the  history  of  their  associates,  and  to  trace  one  another's 
career.  One  consideration  which  brought  me  to  this  celebration  was  the 
hope  of  meeting  some  of  my  old  school-fellows.  There  was  a  little  band 
of  twenty  in  whom  I  felt  special  interest.  You  recollect,  Sir,  that  Mr. 
Israel  W.  Bourne  once  taught  our  High  School.  At  the  time  he  left, 
many  of  his  pupils  sympathized  with  him  and  we  presented  to  him  a  little 
testimonial  of  our  regard.  As  I  said,  there  were  twenty  who  contributed 
for  the  object,  and  I  have  often  tried  to  recall  their  names.  Half  a  dozen 
I  recollect.  There  was  Samuel  Treat,  now  U.  S.  Judge  for  the  southern 
district  of  Illinois  ;  there  was  E.  G.  Brooks,  D.  D.,  now  of  Philadelphia  ; 
there  was  that  gifted  young  divine,  whose  form  moulders  on  the  shores  of 
the  Pacific,  T.  Starr  King  ;  there  was  A.  Tappa'n  Akerman  for  a  time 
Attorney  General  under  President  Grant ;  there  was  M.  Percy  Kennard, 
a  successful  merchant  in  Boston.  I  would  that  I  could  recollect  the  rest. 
It  is  the  object  of  this  High  School  Association  to  preserve  a  record  of  its 
members,  and  to  keep  the  chain  of  friendship  unbroken.  It  is  a  worthy 
object.  May  future  meetings  recount  achievements  that  shall  shed  lustre 
on  those  who  graduate  from  our  High  School  !  May  success  crown  it  ! 
And  may  our  dear  old  city  have  reason  to  exclaim  of  her  children, 
whether  they  roam  abroad,  or  remain  at  home ;  as  did  the  Roman  matron, 
These  are  my  jewels. 

THE  PRESIDENT.  I  now  propose  to  avail  myself  of  an  old  schoolmaster's 
privilege,  and  call  up  "  the  bad  boy,  "  THOMAS  BAILEY  ALDEICH,  if  he  is 
in  the  tent.  (Applause.) 

Mr.  Aldrich  not  making  his  appearance  the  President  continued — 
I  am  afraid   "the  bad  boy  "  has  run  away.     If  he  has,  I  must  now  re- 
sign my  position,  and  commit  the  younger  portion  of  the  audience  to  the 
care   of  l)r.   Spaulding,   who,   I  believe,  makes  the  arrangements  for  the 
dancing. 


THE  PRAISE  MEETING. 

\Ve  are  indebted  to  Rev.  Carlos  Martyn,  and  the  Boston  Transcript,  for 
the  following  account  of  this  great  gathering : 

Sunday  morning  dawned  superbly.  The  air  was  tonic.  The  foliage, 
freshened  by  the  shower  of  Saturday  afternoon,  looked  crisp  and  bright 
enough  for  early  June.  And,  although  the  citizens  and  their  guests  were 
weary  from  the  din  and  excitement  of  the  preceding  days  of  festival, 
sturdy  mother  nature,  garmented  in  beauty  and  fragrance,  showed  no  signs 
of  wear  and  tear. 

In  the  forenoon  the  usual  services  were  held  in  the  various  churches  of 
the  city ;  and,  tired  though  they  were,  the  people  filled  the  houses  of 
prayer,  coaxed  forth  in  part  by  the  cool  glory  of  the  day,  and  in  part  by 
their  desire  to  worship  the  "  Giver  of  every  good  and  perfect  gift."  Rev. 
Dr.  Lamson,  of  Brookline,  preached  a  sermon  appropriate  to  the  occasion, 
in  the  Baptist  cburch  on  Middle  street,  as  did  also  Rev.  Mr.  Hardy,  in 
the  Methodist  church.  Rev.  Carlos  Martyn,  in  the  old  North  church, 
gave  a  second  discourse  on  the  Home-coming,  from  Ps.  cm.  2  : — "  Bless 
the  Lord,  oh  my  soul,  and  forget  not  all  his  benefits."  Each  of  these 
gentlemen  addressed  very  large  and  profoundly  attentive  and  appreciative 
congregations. 

But  the  crown  alike  of  the  Sabbath  and  the  week  was  the  great  Praise 
Meeting,  held  in  the  mammoth  tent  on  Wibird  hill,  at  3  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon.  Not  only  the  homes  of  Portsmouth,  but  those  of  the  neighbor- 
ing towns  emptied  themselves  of  their  sons  and  daughters  ;  and  the  result 
was  an  assemblage  such  as  is  seen  but  once  or  twice  in  a  life-time. 

Our  deepest  feelings  are  always  of  a  religious  nature.  The  enjoyment 
of  the  week  had  been  so  keen,  that  it  was  instinctively  felt  that  the  gath- 
ered emotions  of  the  multitude  could  be  no  otherwise  so  fittingly  voiced 
as  through  the  lips  of  prayer  and  song  in  a  grand  union  service.  Hence, 
the  customary  afternoon  services  were  omitted,  and  the  city  churches  of  all 
denominations,  headed  by  their  respected  pastors,  walked  decorously  up  to 
this  new  Mount  Zion.  There  was  a  happy  truce  between  embattled 
ecclesiastical  camps.  Party  Shibboleths  were  unlearned  for  a  day.  The- 
ological lions  and  lambs  lay  down  together, — and  the  lambs  were  not 
inside  of  the  lions.  It  was  a  glimpse  of  "Paradise  Regained."  As  they 
sat  side  by  side  with  men  and  women  of  all  creeds  and  of  none, — the  Jew 
beside  the  Gentile,  with  "Parthians,  and  Medes,  and  Elamites,  and  the 
dwellers  in  Mesopotamia,"  grouped  in  friendship  under  the  Catholic  can- 
vas, while,  in  the  midst,  upon  the  platform,  were  massed  the  for-once- 
agreeing  clergy,  those  who  were  present  had  an  appetizing  foretaste  of 
the  Millennium.  As  on  the  day  of  Pentecost, -"they  were  all  amazed,  and 
were  in  doubt,  saying  one  to  another,  What  meaneth  this  ?"  But  it  was 
a  pleasant  amazement,  a  delightful  doubt.  Upon  all  faces  was  mirrored 
the  wonder  why  this  scene  had  been  so  long  delayed.  Vocal  in  all  hearts 
were  the  words  of  the  Psalmist — "Behold  how  good  and  pleasant  it  is  for 
brethren  to  dwell  together  in  unity  !" 

Well,  a  meeting  thus  spontaneous  in  its  origin  and  brotherly  in  its 
grouping  could  not  be  otherwise  than  good;  and  good  it  was,  with  a  good- 
ness akin  to  that  of  the  hill  of  transfiguration,  when  Peter  said — "Lord, 
it  is  good  for  us  to  be  here." 

As  to  the  singing — and  average  good  singers  the  Portsmouth  people  ap- 
pear to  be — think  of  nearly  ten  thousand  voices,  mostly  in  unison,  uniting 
in  praise  in  Old  Hundred,  Brattle  Street,  Federal  Street,  Bethany,  Martyn, 
Boylston,  Zion,  Siloam,  America,  Pleyel's  Hymn  and  Greenville,  which 


89 

was  the  programme  of  vocal  music.  Everybody  knows  these,  and  they 
are  the  best  of  the  old  tunes,  and  the  listening  to  them  could  not  but  be 
inspiring  except  to  the  very  dulle8t*clayed  soul  in  the  world.  The  vol- 
ume of  sound,  swayed  now  this  way  and  now  that,  or  up  and  down,  as 
the  huge  canvas,  without  sides  to  keep  out  the  wind,  inflated  or  collapsed 
by  the  force  of  the  breeze,  producing  an  effect  as  of  billows  of  music. 

To  write  critically,  the  time  was  excellent.  Mr.  E.  A.  Tilton,  who 
conducted  the  music,  kept  all  well  in  hand,  and  produced  excellent  effects. 

Here  again  occasion  should  be  taken  to  compliment  Harlow's  Band, 
which  gave  three  fine  instrumental  selections,  besides  furnishing  accom- 
paniments for  the  singing. 

There  were  by  the  clergymen  taking  part,  an  invocation  by  Rev.  Carlos 
Martyn.Congregationalist;  reading  of  the  Scriptures  by  Rev.  L.  L.  Harmon, 
Christian  Baptist ;  brief  addresses  by  Rev.  A.  C.  Hardy,  Methodist ;  Rev. 
James  DeNormandie,  Unitarian;  Elder  Moses  How,  Freewill  Baptist; 
Rev.  Father  Waldron,  Catholic  ;  Rev.  J.  A.  Bingham,  Episcopalian  ;  Rev. 
Dr.  Lamson,  Baptist ;  Rev.  Wm.  H.  Alden,  Baptist,  who  also  pronounced 
the  benediction. 

Most  of  the  speakers  confined  themselves  to  the  home-coming  idea,  with 
variation  enough  in  the  application  of  the  lesson  in  it  and  the  thankful- 
ness for  it  to  give  good  variety  to  their  words.  Mr.  DeNormandie  spoke 
from  the  text,  "I  nave  come  that  ye  might  have  life,  and  that  ye  might 
have  it  more  abundantly."  He  occupied  but  a  very  few  minutes,  grace- 
fully giving  way  at  his  own  option,  so  that  the  audience  might  hear  from 
the  venerable  Elder  Moses  How,  now  eighty-five  years  of  age,  whose  name 
was  not  upon  the  programme,  and  who  was  formerly  pastor  of  a  church, 
though  not  a  native  of  this  place.  Elder  How's  voice  was  distinctly 
heard  over  a  much  wider  range  than  some  of  the  younger  clergy,  and  his 
manner  was  quite  as  vivacious  as  theirs. 

Rev.  Dr.  Lamson  of  Brookline,  who  was  also  at  one  time  a  pastor  in 
this  city,  took  for  his  text,  "Have  faith  in  God,"  and  presented  the  idea  of 
the  necessity  of  a  God  of  providence,  and,  as  such,  a  personal  God. 

Father  Waldron,  the  Catholic  priest  who  spoke,  is  a  native  of  Ports- 
mouth, and  came  to  supply  the  place  on  the  programme  of  the  Rev.  Canon 
Walsh,  who  is  in  charge  01  the  Catholic  diocese  here,  but  who  could  not  be 
present  on  the  occasion. 

The  City  Government,  with  some  invited  guests,  were  present.  They 
came  in  carriages  and  were  escorted  to  the  tent  by  the  Independent  Bat- 
talion and  Harlow's  Band.  ' 

At  the  close  of  the  praise  meeting  a  motion  was  put  to  the  audience,  and 
carried,  overwhelmingly,  that  the  jubilee  be  repeated  in  ten  years.  , 

Thus  ended  the  Praise  meeting, — by  a  unanimous  verdict  the  appro- 
priate climax  of  the  Jubilee.  As  the  multitude  turned  lingeringly,  re- 
luctantly  from  the  scene,  it  was  with  a  song  of  praise  still  on  their  lips,  a 
psalm  of  thanksgiving  still  in  their  hearts  ;  while 

"Byes  looked  love  to  eyes  that  spake  again.' 


90 


A  MONUMENT  AT  ODIORNE'S  POINT. 

"  Over  your  bones  a  great  and  glorious  mound, 

Here  on  the  headland,  at  the  opening  sound,  , 

We  heaped,  Achilles  !     Shall  it  always  be 

Seen  from  the  offing  in  this  tar-off  sen, — 

Shall  men,  that  see  this  Trojan  headland  loom, 

See,  and  lor  evermore,  the  mighty  Helen's  tomb." 

Odyssey. 

By  a  felicitous  coincidence  the  year.  1873  has  marked  not  only  the 
twentieth  year's  absence  of  "  The  Sons,"  but  a  still  more  important  an- 
niversary, being  no  less  than  the  two  hundred  and  fiftieth  year  since  the 
settlement  of  the  town  of  Portsmouth,  or  indeed  of  the  State  of  New  Hamp- 
shire. In  16-3  (probably  in  the  month  of  May,)  a  company  of  English- 
men, under  the  direction  of  David  Thompson,  set  foot  upon  Odiorne's  Point. 
It  is  not  hard  to  call  up  the  picture,  as  one  stands  to-day  upon  this  beau- 
tiful promontory ;  to  imagine  these  bold,  hardy  adventurers  stepping  upon 
the  shore,  pleased  to  find  it  so  fair  a  land.  They  came  to  earn  a  livelihood 
by  fishing,  tilling  the  ground  and  trading  Tvith  the  natives.  They  were 
good,  honest,  reputable  yeomen.  The  existence  of  the  settlement  which 
they  founded  is  to  this  day  attested  by  many  a  relic.  The  site  of  the  Manor 
House,  of  the  Fort,  of  Flake  Hill  (a  knoll  so  called  from  the  flakes  on  which 
they  dried  their  fish ;)  the  little  grave  yard,  with  "  moss-covered  cob- 
ble stones  at  the  head  and  foot  of  the  graves."  and  many  a  broken  fragment 
of  brick  turned  up  by  the  plough-share,  all  speak  of  busy  occupancy  two 
centuries  and  a  half  ago." 

It  was  professedly  the  intention  of  our  citizens  to  celebrate  this  most  in- 
teresting historical  event,  no  less  than  the  return  of  the  Sons.  A  hope  had 
found  expression  that  Odiorne's  Point  and  its  memories  would  be  brought 
prominently  forward,  and  perhaps  something  said,  or  done,  to  honor  the 
men  who  came  there,  some  of  them  ancestors  of  Portsmouth  families,  now 
either  resident  at  the  old  homestead,  or  scattered  abroad  in  different  parts 
of  the  country.  But  in  the  fervor  and  enthusiasm  with  which  the  pres- 
ence of  the  living  was  greeted  (though  we  thought  tenderly  of  those  who 
had  passed  away  since  the  last  re-union,)  the  memory  was  but  dim  and 
obscure  of  men  who  were  sleeping  in  their  graves,  by  the  sea,  over  two 
centuries  ago.  True,  Thompson  and  his  band  were  not  altogether  forgot- 
ten. Honorable  mention  was  made  of  them,  notably  in  the  eloquent  and 
chaste  response  of  the  President  of  the  Boston  delegation.  But  somehow 
the  significance  of  the  greater  anniversary  was  not  impressed  upon  us  as  it 
should  have  been.  Tne  social  completely  overshadowed  the  more  purely 
historical  celebration. 

Perhaps  it  was  as  well  so.  There  is  a  strong  impression,  however,  that 
the  historical  anniversary  ought  not  to  go  entirely  by  default.  It  deserves, 
and  is  likely  to  have,  a  recognition  in  a  manner  more  quiet,  but  no  less 
hearty  and  spontaneous.  It  is  an  anniversary  too  valuable  to  be  neglected. 
A  few  days  after  the  Fourth,  a  well  known  Son,*  a  clergyman  widely 
respected  as  an  earnest  worker,  invited  a  friend  f  to  take  a  stroll  down  Sag- 
amore road.  The  two  High  School  boys  had  in  hand,  of  course,  a  copy  of 
Brewster's  Rambles.  Their  inspiration,  it  is  likely,  was  drawn  from  Ram- 
ble II,  of  the  First  Series,  which  opens  as  follows  :  "  An  hour's  walk  from 
Market  Square,  over  Sagamore  bridge,  will  find  us  on  the  sea-coast  at 
Odiorne's  Point — a  peninsula  on  which  there  is  a  slight  eminence,  a  few 
rods  from  the  sea,  which  affords  a  good  view  of  the  ocean  and  of  the  neigh- 

*  Rev.  Edward  A.  Rand, 
f  Frank  W.  Hackett,  Esq. 


91 

boring  country.  *  *  Odiorne's  Point  was  the  spot  selected  by  the 
Laconia  Company  for  the  site  of  the  first  building  erected  on  the  grant." 
The  strangers'  visit  was  fully  as  interesting  as  they  were  led  by  the  "  Ram- 
bler "  to  expect.  Mr.  Charles  Odiorne,  who  lives  upon  the  premises,  kindly 
pointed  out  the  prominent  localities;  and  they  enjoyed  themselves  with 
almost  as  much  zest  as  if  indeed  they  had  been  professed  antiquarians. 

This  incident  has  proved  the  germ  of  a  design  to  mark  this  well- authen- 
ticated spot  by  some  permanent  memorial.  Here  was  the  beginning  of  anew 
people.  These  Englishmen,  quite  unlike  the  Puritans,  landed  only  three 
years  after  the  settlement  at  Plymouth.  The  early  settlers  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, it  is  true,  did  not  come  to  found  "  a  church  without  a  bishop,  a  state 
without  a  king."  They  came  for  fishing,  for  business  and  for  trade ;  but 
they  meant  to  stay  and  build  up  a  town.  They  did  stay,  and  their  char- 
acter, as  well  as  the  character  of  those  who  followed  them,  left  its  impress 
upon  succeeding  generations  in  the  Province  and  in  the  State  of  New 
Hampshire.  It  is  not  meet  that  their  coming  should  be  forgotten. 

A  few  gentlemen  appearing  to  favor  the  project,  a  meeting  was  called 
for  the  23d  of  July,  at  the  City  rooms,  to  "  commemorate  the  settlement  of 
this  state  in  1623,  by  a  monument  at  Odiorne's  Point,  to  be  dedicated  un- 
der the  auspicies  of  the  New  Hampshire  Historical  Society."  The  call  was 
signed  by  Messrs.  James  P.  Bartlett  and  Frank  W.  Hackett,  as  a  com- 
mittee. 

The  meeting  wa,s  gratifying  both  in  point  of  numbers,  and  in  the  charac- 
ter of  the  citizens  who  were  present.  James  P.  Bartlett,  Esq  ,  presided,  and 
Mr.  Albert  H.  Sides  was  chosen  Secretary.  Remarks  were  made  by  His  Hon- 
or the  Mayor,  Hon.  John  Elwyn  (whose  historical  knowledge  in  all  that 
appertains  to  the  early  history  of  Portsmouth  and  vicinity,  is  unequalled,) 
Hon.  W.  H.  Y.  Hackett,  Hon.  Lory  Odell,  .Frank  W.  Miller,  Esq.,  and 
others.  Letters  were  read  from  Rev.  Dr.  Bouton,  of  Concord,  Correspond- 
mgjSecretary  of  the  New  Hampshire  Historical  Society,  who  expressed  an 
assurance  that  that  organization  would  cordially  help  forward  the  move- 
ment ;  from  Rev.  Edward  A.  Rand,  of  South  Boston ;  and  from  Col.  Al- 
bert H.  Hoyt,  of  Boston,  the  faithful  and  able  editor  of  the  New  England 
Historical  and  Genealogical  Register. 

The  opinion  was  unanimous  that  a  monument  ought  to  be  built ;  that  if 
not  built  at  once,  it  would  surely  be  in  time.  There  was  no  doubt  that 
the  most  suitable  site  was  the  eminence  at  the  Point,  where  the  shaft 
could  be  seen  by  all  who  sail  along  the  coast. 

A  committee  was  appointed  to  take  the  subject  into  consideration,  to 
confer  with  the  Historical  Society,  and  to  make  a  report  to  a  general  meet- 
ing of  citizens,  which  they  were  empowered  to  call  whenever  they  see  tit. 
The  members  of  the  committee  are  Hon.  John  Elwyn,  His  Honor,  May- 
or Marvin,  Hon.  Lory  Odell,  Frank  W.  Hackett,  James  P.  Bartlett  and 
Frank  W.  Miller. 

It  is  understood  that  the  movement  is  making  excellent  headway. 
Advices  from  all  quarters  indicate  that  interest  enough  is  already  excited 
to  make  it  a  gratifying  success.  Writers  in  the  press,  and  by  private  letters, 
cordially  commend  it.  Not  merely  Portsmouth  or  Dover  is  alone  inter- 
ested. It  is  designed  that  subscriptions  may  come  from  all  parts  of  the 
State,  and  from  Sons  and  Daughters  of  the  Granite  State,  wherever  living. 
So  excellent  an  undertaking  cannot  fail  to  be  popular.  When  it  succeeds 
(as  succeed  it  surely  will,)  the  monument  will  represent  the  expression  of 
grateful  remembrance  of  New  Hampshire's  children,  from  Maine  to  the 
Pacific. 

As  the  Committee  have  not  yet  reported  their  action,  it  is  too  early  to 
state  precisely  what  plan  will  be  commended,  or  adopted.  It  is  not  too 
much  to  say,  however,  that  a  plain,  substantial  column  will  require  a 
considerable  outlay :  that  it  should  be  of  height  and  breadth  sufficient  to 
be  seen  from  the  ocean,  that  is,  it  should  be  of  a  respectable  size,  if  not 


92 

imposing.  Ita  dedication  will  be  accompanied  by  an  address,  tbe  prepar- 
ation of  which  will  undoubtedly  be  consigned  to  an  able  and  painstak- 
ing hand.  Research  cannot  but  bring  to  light  many  interesting  details 
which  must  soon  be  rescued  from  oblivion,  if  at  all. 

The  fitness  of  the  place,  the  time  and  the  occasion  is  so  obvious,  that  it 
need  not  be  enlarged  upon.  Every  Son  of  Portsmouth  will  take  an  especial 
pride  in  the  successful  termination  of  a  project  so  auspiciously  begun.  It 
is  well  to  spread  the  intelligence  as  widely  as  possible.  The  details  of  the 
plan,  by  which  money  will  be  raised,  are  not  yet  perfected,  but  will  be  made 
public  ere  long.  tMeanwhile,  althougn  an  executive  committee  has  not  yet 
been  chosen,  it  may  be  well  to  add  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  are  disposed  at 
once  to  contribute  to  this  object,  that  JAMES  P.  BARTLETT,  ESQ.,  of  the  New 
Hampshire  National  Bank  of  Portsmouth,  has  kindly  consented  to  ac- 
knowledge the  receipt  of  sums,  from  one  dollar  and  upward,  and  to  hold 
them  to  the  order  of  the  future  Treasurer. 


93 


STRAY  MEMORANDA. 

In  gathering  the  material  for  the  foregoing  account  of  Portsmouth's 
three  days  carnival,  we  have  inadvertently  omitted  many  important 
items  of  interest  which  should  properly  have  been  inserted  under  the  ap- 
propriate headings.  We  have  collected  some  of  the  more  important  of 
them  however  and  shall  bundle  them  together  under  the  above  caption. 
The  first  that  meets  our  eye  and  claims  our  attention  is  from  a  private 
letter  received  from  a  friend  of  ours  who  was  one  of  the  most  active  and 
enthusiastic  workers  in  aiding  the  Return,  and,  besides,  is  as  loyal  to  his 
mother  town  as  it  is  possible  for  one  to  be,  and  therefore  his  practical 
suggestions  are  entitled  to  much  consideration. 

************ 

"And  when  we  come  in  1883,  please  permit  us  to  do  so  without  inflicting 
the  penalty  of  so  much  entertainment  for  us.  Do  not  have  us  feel  that 
onr  visit  has  induced  an  appropriation  of  so  much  money  as  $  10,000. 
Private  welcome  of  itself,  has  about  overwhelmed  us  twice,  and  in  future 
that  can  be  depended  upon  ;  witness  the  decorated  dweljings  and  quanti- 
ties of  food  prepared  at  the  last  Return.  Let  us  come  home  and  feel  easy 
and  comfortable,  free  and  "  chipper."  Receive  us  simply,  give  our  chief 
a  gold  ring  to  mark  the  period  to  his  posterity  and  our  successors,  disband 
the  escort  before  noon  and  give  us  an  opportunity  to  go  to  a  few  of  the 
scores  or  hundreds  of  receptions  and  meetings  and  lunches  arranged  for  us, 
and  be  shaken  by  both  hands — the  real  feature  of  the  festival — the  hearty 
one.  Then  at  four  or  five  of  the  day,  let  us  go,  cool  and  rested,  to  hear  the 
speeches  and  songs  and  poetry  and  then  at  once  to  the  Promenade  con- 
cert where  we  shall  meet  all  together,  and  sociably  chat  or  dance  or  laugh 
and  be  cheery.  Let  us  have  our  collation  in  instalments — we  all  have 
somewhere  to  go,  where  they  want  us,  and  last  Fourth  many  of  us  had 
more  tables  spread  for  us  than  we  could  possibly  visit,  so  that  both  tables 
and  ourselves  were  much  dissappomted,  for  the  most  of  us  didn't  get  to 
one. 

Also  have  the  next  Return  in  June — the  grass  and  the  elms  and  the 
water  and  the  girls  are  all  prettiest  then — everybody  is  hungering  for 
trees  and  green  things  when  they're  just  budding.  City  people  are  never 
more  struck  with  the  beauty  of  vegetation,  &c.,  than  early  in  the  season. 
Do  not  mix  the  Return  Days  with  Independence  Day  or  any  other  day, 
but  let  it  be  a  historic,  red-letter  day  by  itself; — it  has  sufficient  signifi- 
cance to  be  worthy  of  it.  The  "  250th  Anniversary  "  got  pretty  well  lost 
in  the  "  Return." — Even  the  badges  of  your  City  were  marked  "  Return 
of  the  Sons  and  Daughters  of  Portsmouth  " — not  a  word  about  1623.  The 
"  Return"  is  now  Portsmouth's  own  particular  day — its  special  and  exclu- 
sive characteristic— no  other  town  possesses  the  institution  of  a  ten-yearly 
Return  of  its  "Sons"  which  from  time  to  time  will  fruit  just  as  nutty 
bearings  as  the  Odiorne's  Point  Monument  and  the  High  School  Associa- 
tion and  Festival. 

What  do  you  think  of  some  arrangement  by  which  some  act  that  would 
perpetuate  the  day  might  be  done,  that  everybody  in  the  visiting  proces- 
sion might  have  a  hand  in?  For  instance — Let  along  rope  be  taken 
hold  of  by  everybody  in  the  line,  as  firemen  drag  an  engine  to  a  fire.  To 
this  rope  attach  a  piece  of  ordnance  (ordnance-canon)  or  something  of  the 
kind.  Drag  it  to  some  hill  or  square,  unship  it  and  drop  it  on  the  ground 
or  on  a  base  prepared  for  it  or  stick  it  up  in  the  earth." 

Visitors  to  our  city,  July  Fourth,  were  indebted  to  the  Temperance  or- 
ganizations  of  Portsmouth  for  the  efficient  and  liberal  way  in  which  they 


94 

provided  ice-water  during  the  day.  Drinking  fountains,  well  shaded  and 
appropriately  mottoed.  were  set  up  at  prominent  points,  men  were  en- 
gaged to  keep  them  filled,  and  by  these  commendable  efforts  much  com- 
fort was  promoted.  . 

Among  the  marching  Sons,  in  the  procession  of  the  4th,  were  four  gen- 
tlemen, (including  Dr.  Rice  of  Newport,  R.  I.)  who  formed  one  section, 
and  whose  united  avoirdupois  reached  within  seven  pounds  of  nine  hun- 
dred— about  two  hundred  and  twenty-three  pounds  apiece.  And  they 
marched  over  the  whole  route,  too. 

Of  the  314  sons  and  daughters  resident  in  New  York,  225  were,  by 
actual  count,  present  at  this  reunion. 

Four  Massachusetts  officers  were  the  guests  of  the  Independent  Battal- 
ion on  the  Fourth  and  marched  with  them  in  the  procession.  They  were 
Capt.  Geo.  Keeler,  Lieuts.  Silvia  and  Robinson  of  the  Cambridge  City 
Guard,  and  Lieut.  Fred  Kramer  of  the  Somerville  Light  Infantry,  who  is 
a  son  of  Portsmouth. 

Mayor  Horton  of  Dover,  was  in  the  city  during  the  Fourth,  as  the 
guest  of  Mayor  Marvin.  Immediately  after  his  return  home,  he  sent  a 
letter  to  the  Mayor,  highly  complimentary  of  the  successful  way  we  cel- 
ebrated. . 

The  inmates  of  the  Almshouse  and  Bridewell  were  given  their  liberty 
on  July  4th,  on  their  promise  of  good  behavior.  They  all  returned  to 
their  respective  quarters  the  next  day. 

Among  those  who  kept  open  houses  during  the  late  reception,  none 
were  more  hospitable  than  Miss  Annie  L.  Sise,  at  the  old  homestead  on 
Middle  Street.  The  latch-string  was  out,  nay  more,  the  door  was  left  wide 
open,  and  her  brothers,  with  the  fair  host,  provided  bountifully  of  choice 
viands.  The  members  of  the  press  were  indebted  for  special  attention. 

Rev.  Canon  Walsh  also  generously  kept  his  house  open  to  the  public, 
with  a  liberal  supply  of  refreshments  for  any  who  chanced  to  call.  Many 
others  about  the  city  had  well-filled  tables  waiting  for  the  public  palate 
so  that  no  one  of  the  crowd  of  visitors  need  to  have  gone  home  hungry, 
and  we  doubt  if  any  did. 

The  Boston  Committee  on  Re-assembling,  though  they  did  not  call  the 
sons  together  in  ten  years  after  1853,  were  not  unmindful  of  their  exis- 
tence. When  the  2d  New  Hampshire  Reg't  left  Portsmouth  for  the  seat 
of  war  in  1861,  they  were  escorted  through  Boston  by  the  Sons  of  New 
Hampshire  and  given  a  Strawberry  Feast  at  the  Music  Hall  with  music, 
speeches,  &c.,  &c. 

After  several  hard  fights,  what  was  left  of  the  Reg't  came  home  for  a 
brief  visit  and  though  advertised  to  go  through  Boston,  no  notice  was  to 
be  taken  of  them.  This  was  too  much  of  a  contrast  to  the  departure.  The 
Com  on  Reassembling  at  once  raised  among  their  friends  some  $500  to 
which  the  city  of  Boston  added  some  $200.  One  of  the  committee  met 
the  Reg't  at  Providence,  while  the  others  obtained  Gilmore's  Band  and  a 
few  "  Sons,"  by  whom  the  soldiers  were  escorted  to  a  breakfast  at  Faneuil 
Hall  and  the  officers  taken  to  Parker's  and  handsomely  entertained. 

Returns  of  Ncwburyport,  Gloucester  and  Brookfield.  The  city  of  New- 
buryport.  in  1854,  published  an  invitation  for  its  Sons  to  return  and  par- 
take of  the  hospitality  of  the  Stay-at-Homes.  Our  correspondent  learned 
his  business  in  Newburyport  and  had  been  an  occasional  visitor  from 
childhood.  From  these  circumstances  and  from  his  connection  with  the 
Portsmouth  movement,  he  attended  the  gathering.  It  was  universally 
conceded  a  failure,  though  by  many  attributed  to  the  great  heat  of  the  day. 

An  advertisement  calling  the  Sons  of  Gloucester  together  at  Meionaon 
Hall  in  Boston,  in  the  spring  of  1873,  with  the  object  of  a  Return  Home, 


95 

was  responded  to  by  eight  persons,  two  of  whom  were  reporters,  one  the 
janitor  of  the  building,  one  a  gentleman  from  Dover,  and  Theodore  S. 
Harris,  Esq.  A  meeting  of  Gloucester  people  was  afterward  had  in  Chel- 
sea and  there  the  movement  seems  to  have  ceased,  for  this  year  at  least. 
In  the  latter  part  of  April  or  early  in  May  1853,  the  natives  of  Brookfield 
resident  in  New  York  projected  a  general  return  to  their  birthplace,  a  no- 
tice of  which  is  found  in  the  Boston  Atlas  of  May  18th  of  that  year,  but 
the  design  never  was  consummated. 

The  following  letter,  from  the  subscriber  to  a  friend  in  Boston,  seems  to 
show  that  the  idea  of  a  "  return  of  the  Sons  "  dates  several  years  previous 
to  the  Spring  of  1853.  *  *  *  *  "At  the  meeting  in  1849,  at  Fitch- 
burg  Hall,  of  the  sons  of  New  Hampshire,  residing  in  Boston,  it  was  then 
suggested  to  have  a  general  return  of  the  Sons  of  Portsmouth.  On  my 
return  home,  I  spoke  of  it  to  my  father*  and  brothers,  but  nothing  further 
was  done.  I  always  supposed  the  Return  in  1853  was  owing  to  the  re- 
marks made  at  that  time.  I  cannot  remember  who  made  the  suggestion 
but  it  was  a  matter  of  conversation  for  a  little  while. 

Yours,  truly, 

EBEN  W.  BALL." 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  in  the  Boston  delegation  all  the  badges  of 
the  marshals,  except  that  of  Chief  Marshal  Stevens,  were  from  a  pattern 
furnished  by  a  daughter  of  Portsmouth,  who  has  just  passed  her  76th 
birth-day.  Among  all  the  visitors  to  our  city  on  that  memorable  day  of 
July  Fourth,  there  was  none  more  earnest,  nor  one  who  attached  more  im- 
portance to  the  occasion  than  did  this  lady. 

*  Mr.  John  Ball,  the  preacher, 


EXPLANATORY. 

It  was  the  desire  and  intention  of  the  publisher  of  this  History,  to  get, 
if  possible,  all,  or  nearly  all  the  names  of  the  visiting  Sons  and  Daugh- 
ters, and  publish  them  at  the  close  of  this  book.  To  facilitate  this,  sheets 
were  prepared  with  printed  headings,  and  placed 'in  the  newspaper  offices 
of  the  Journal  and  Times,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  the  signatures  of 
the  visitors,  the  proprietors  of  each  paper  kindly  giving  their  personal 
attention  to  the  matter.  The  foregoing  places  were  selected  on  account 
of  their  centrality  and  convenience,  and  although  the  proposal  and  re- 
quest were  well  advertised,  we  failed  to  get  anything  like  a  complete  list  ; 
in  fact,  it  is  so  incomplete  that  we  have  concluded  not  to  publish  it,  and 
thus  relieve  ourself  of  those  complaints  that  would  arise  from  the  perusal 
of  an  unfinished  directory  of  names. 


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